Changes
by Mr. BG
Summary: Cue one hapless male teen surrounded by a plethora of distinctively wacky females, and hilarity and disaster ensues. Written with heavy anime influence. BenxGwenxOC's
1. Complex

**A/N:** Hello. I've had this fic idea for quite some time now, so I decided to write it down while it's fresh in my mind. If the reception is promising, I'll prioritize updating this above my other fics. A poll will be set up as to which fic you want me to focus on, including this one. I, however, recommend you give this story at least 2 or 3 chapters to gain traction before deciding.

Many thanks to Baku babe for agreeing to beta-read this fic. Her feedback was very insightful.

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**Chapter One: Complex**

Today marked the first day of summer. And that meant only one thing: absolute freedom. The life of a college student hasn't been easy so far. In fact, it's been one stressful day after another. And those days seemed to drag on forever. Who would've thought growing up meant you had to put in some work to get somewhere—or anywhere for that matter? Those fun and carefree days feels more like a distant memory now.

Of course, there were some upsides to it, too. Meeting new people, having new friends, creating new experiences and memories; in spite of the huge burden of college life, having a few people you enjoy being with more than makes up for all those sleepless nights cramming in mountains of books worth of information, or trying your hardest not to fall asleep during the day, hoping you understood at least a quarter of what the professor had been teaching.

And that's not even counting the fact that you're literally hundreds of miles away from home, living independently in a small room of one of the university dorms, having to learn to take care of yourself and doing all the mundane everyday tasks that are usually reserved for mothers to do. How were you supposed to know not to mix in the whites with the colors anyway? Most awkward day of school, yet. But at least the fire department was much more understanding during the cooking incident. Since then, however, it was either instant noodles or a store-bought sandwich. Well, at least Erika offered to cook on some occasions. Otherwise, lasting through the entire year might as well have been impossible.

Nevertheless, on some aspects, trying to be responsible for oneself, albeit with a few difficulties, is still rather fulfilling.

And it doesn't hurt that there are some dependable people around you can turn to—and they're awfully nice, too, although, some are bit creepy, others maybe with a few screws loose, but they're all good-natured deep down, and almost everyone is hardworking. Even the slackers do some heavy-lifting from time to time. They say college is a place where only the fittest survives, but it's nice to know that people are willing to help each other out. It's a far cry from high school that much is for sure.

Ben smiled to himself as he tried to force his briefcase shut. Perhaps it was a no-go after all to put all the clothes you plan to bring in just one case. It seemed much less troublesome that way, but the briefcase seemed to already be pleading in agony to spare it from an extra shirt or two. He sighed in defeat as he took some of the clothes out. He should really be opting for a stroller bag anyway—much more conventional. But leaving behind his lucky briefcase is out of the question. Ben was never the superstitious type, but he swore that that one time he forgot to bring it, it was arguably the worst school day of his life ever.

Much worse than the time when he was a kid, and he accidentally single-handedly ruined his Aunt Vera's wedding. To this day, he swears it was Grandpa's stupid 'cologne' that caused all the trouble. I mean, why else would all those doves be flocking around him for absolutely no reason, causing him to run and crash into, and effectively destroying the entire buffet table? Gwen, however, claimed it was because his weird face was enough to provoke the birds to attack.

_Gwen..._

There was a knock at the door. Before Ben could answer, the person had already decided to open it and let herself in.

"Oh, you're still packing? You better hurry up. They'll be here soon," Ben's mother, Sandra, called out to him, her hand steadily gripped on the doorknob, as she watched her son sitting on the floor of his room, folding the remainder of his clothes.

"I know, Mom. I'm almost done," Ben replied without even looking, as he carefully flung the folded clothes on top of his bed.

"How many times do I have to tell you to call me Sandra, Ben?" she sighed. "Anyway, they've called not too long ago. It won't be long until they arrive. Make sure you bring along all the essentials, dear. I know you've become much more independent now, but I can't honestly stress how important a little protection is."

"Jeez, Mom, don't say it like that! Your words could easily be mistaken!" Ben exclaimed as he turned to her with a flustered expression.

"Ah, I'm sorry. I didn't realize. Well, anyway, you know what I mean. Come downstairs for breakfast when you've finished packing," Sandra innocently waved off with a smile, before closing the door behind her.

"That woman," Ben grumbled as he turned his attention back to the task at hand. "I swear sometimes she doesn't think through half the stuff she says." Ben neatly folded the last of his clothes and laid it on top of his bed. He plopped down and quickly sorted through all the items he was bringing with him. He shuddered at the thought of last time when he forgot to pack in his toothbrush. How inconvenient for a convenience store to be close that night. That's the last time he was gonna be sharing a toothbrush again.

However, this time he was sure he got everything right. Satisfied with the job he did, he stood up to briefly stretch as he took in the view of his room—something he haven't had the chance to do ever since he came back home three days ago. He wasn't sure what happened exactly, but his mother insisted that he collapsed to the floor out of exhaustion the moment he stepped inside. And naturally, the first thing she did was to take a picture of his lifeless form and hang it on the fridge. She is so not getting anything for Mother's Day next year.

"Hard to believe it's been almost a full year since I've been home. I see Mom's kept this room untouched all that time. Still, she could've at least dusted a bit, but this is Mom I'm talking about," Ben chuckled, shaking his head at the bits of dust that accumulated in certain areas and clutters of items sprawled all over. He himself would be the first to admit that he wasn't much of a neat freak as well, but still, it would be nice if his living space would at least look presentable. At least that's what Gwen always told him, anyway.

"Maybe I should've done a little sprucing up, but there's hardly any time now. Gwen would probably freak if she saw all this." Again, that name struck a chord deep within him. He bit his lower lip at the uneasiness that suddenly enveloped him. It's been a good eight or nine months since he last saw her—and almost about three years since they last spoke.

It all started with his decision to take off the Omnitrix. It wasn't necessary to keep it on, anyway. Threats were becoming minor; almost non-existent. Even deploying a group of novice Plumbers was enough. The Galactic Enforcers couldn't even buy a gig. It was peace time. Ben made it happen. And now, he just wanted to live the rest of his life out normally. Being a hero wasn't as spectacular as he once thought. It was a drag, actually. He now understood that the Supermans and Batmans didn't do it for the thrill. They did it because it they were needed.

And now he wasn't. And he was glad.

It took a lot out of him, and out of Gwen, too. They never complained about it openly, despite the obvious lack of sleep, the weariness, the many sustained injuries, their own social life slowly crumbling, but they both knew deep down that one day they would have to call it quits—before their mind and bodies gave in first. So Ben did the only rational thing - the best thing for both of them - he pleaded Azmuth to take it off, to take it back. Azmuth willingly agreed, and reassured him that he will keep it safe until he was ready to take on the burden again.

Everything went downhill from there. Ben's relationship with Gwen slowly fizzled.

It was the start of junior year—a new beginning. There were high hopes that things could only get better from here on out. But expectations were soon quickly derailed. Ben didn't understand what happened exactly, but he found himself growing more and more distant from Gwen. Missions accounted for a large part of them meeting up, and when the missions stopped coming, the team followed suit. Hanging out happened less and less, until it reached the point where they stopped hanging out completely. Turns out there was nothing much to talk about when it didn't involve anything out of the ordinary.

The both of them found no common ground without the watch.

Gwen became engrossed with her studies. Her grades had been slowly declining every year since she's been living a double life, and her parents were finally glad that their daughter was back on track on the "road of a more promising future". And what spare time Gwen usually mustered she spent on dates with her on-again/off-again boyfriend Kevin. Ben was none too pleased to be left out, feeling like an outsider.

He took his frustrations out on sports. He excelled in soccer, track-and-field, and baseball—anything that had to do with running and loads of stamina. He even did surprisingly well in wrestling. It was practically child's play compared to being out on the battlefield. These guys couldn't even hold a candle to new recruits. Ben quickly established himself as one of Bellwood High's top athletes. Scholarships from several universities piled up soon after.

But it never did help to fill the void. It was all empty bravado; a way to distract himself from his separation anxiety.

Family gatherings had become awkward. Even their parents were showing some general concern as to what exactly happened to the once inseparable duo. But they dare not prod. Teenage minds were a complicated matter. If a resolution was to be made, it would have to be between the two. Even Grandpa Max didn't dare say a word, but only silently watched in pain as the two ignored each other when they accidentally got too close. Not even so much as a simple hello. Max desperately wanted to do something about it, but hadn't found his chance yet. Maybe someday he kept hoping.

Senior year. They both still tried their best to avoid each other as much as possible. At school. At gatherings. They even decided to celebrate their birthdays separately, much to the dismay of their parents. To everyone who had an idea of the bond they once shared.

Then there was the fallout between Gwen and Kevin. Their sporadic relationship finally ended after a heated argument one day. No one knew the exact reason, but everyone tried their best to console the deeply depressed Gwen—except for Ben. He heard about the news, too. People gossip too much for their own good. But what was he supposed to do? Gwen effectively shut him away, and seemingly denied his existence; that they once shared anything at all. Now, to be her hero when she needed one, that's just asking too much.

Things never did improve in terms of their relationship. Months came to pass.

Ben found himself accepting a scholarship in Colorado. Numerous scouts have raved about Bellwood High's star soccer player. He excelled in all facets of the game and everything seemingly came naturally for him. Several universities pushed hard to recruit him—even going as far as making ludicrous offers just to outbid each other. After all the flirting to draw Ben in, he finally managed to pick one. He did it randomly by blindfold. He didn't care where he ended up, as long as he can get away from Bellwood. Academics wasn't exactly his strongest suit, so why bother pondering over it too much? It was all about soccer, anyway.

Ben would find himself leaving for college very soon.

Then the day of his departure finally came. Everyone accompanied him to the airport—even Gwen showed up, though she mostly stood behind the other adults and hadn't uttered a single word the whole time. The atmosphere was very melancholic. Sandra couldn't bear to have her son taken away from her to a faraway place. Her husband, Carl, even had to wrestle her a bit to give up the one luggage she refused to hand over to Ben. He had quite a bit of luggage with him.

Max in his usual form, however, calmly wished the boy good luck and told him that he hopes that Ben could find what he was looking for in Colorado. Deep down, they both knew he wouldn't. It was never in Colorado to begin with.

Uncle Frank and Aunt Lili, on the other hand, did their best to not sound cliché with their parting words. Unfortunately, they were. Ben appreciated them, nonetheless.

A lot of awkward goodbyes were thrown around. Even Aunt Vera showed up just to remind Ben that one day, she might opt to make his wedding day hard for him, too. Of course, it might have been just a cruel joke when she then broke into laughter. Maybe.

Max then made a subtle nod to all the surrounding adults. They all looked at him firmly, and each one tried to slip his or herself out from the circle with some poor excuse. The best one definitely was about how the pregnant goldfish was needed to be taken to the vet. Frank and Lili didn't even bother with one, and just quietly disappeared in the middle of the commotion.

Ben looked around in confusion. Everyone around him was suddenly gone—everyone except for Gwen. Even the poor girl only now noticed how it was suddenly more spacious; she was too lost in thought to notice beforehand. Their eyes met, but Gwen's expression tightened at the sight of Ben looking at her with such fragile stare. Both teens suddenly looked down with nervousness, averting each other's gaze.

The situation has now become frustratingly clear.

Both of them wanted nothing more than to walk away from the spot right now and avoid having to deal with each other, but they found themselves completely frozen where they stood. They stayed silent for some time, shooting quick, nervous glances when they were sure the other wasn't looking. They fidgeted and unnervingly shifted their weight, tensely creasing the hem of their shirts as they desperately tried to start something.

"Erm..."

That was the first in a long time Ben had ever heard Gwen's voice, and his head shot up both in surprise and curiosity. He saw her visibly struggle trying to find her words, her entire body trembling a bit no matter how hard she tried to hide it. She pursed her lips, still refusing to look at him, but her expression was soft, delicate...almost needy.

"Erm..." she mumbled under her breath again, but nothing followed after that. But Ben wasn't about let all this go so easily. It's been far too long for the outcome to stay the same.

"Gwen..." he called out to her with quivering lips. He himself was surprised at how weak he sounded. But his heart was beating too fast, and his breathing was heavy and chaotic. His mind was simply not cooperating with him. The palm of his hands felt very cold and he was sure his legs were going to buckle up under him at any moment. Everything was happening too quickly. It was insane.

But Ben knew he had gotten her attention. She might not be looking at him, but he could feel her anxiously waiting for something. But his words were failing, his body was completely stiff, and his mind spun around so much that he felt like he was going to vomit. He wanted so badly to reach out to her, to embrace her, and to ask her "why?" He wanted to let her know that even if she hated him, no matter the reason why she hated him, he just couldn't do the same. That she mattered too much to him—even if the feeling wasn't mutual anymore.

But he never gathered up the courage to. And Gwen never did manage to utter a single word. Ben cursed at himself mentally over and over again, his one hand visibly straining at the sling of his backpack as his expression grew more desperate._ Please say something. Anything._ He would gladly drop everything right at this very moment if she told him not to leave. He wouldn't even need to hear an excuse. He just wanted to be sure that there was a small part of her that still needed him.

_Gwen...please...please..._

"_To all passengers of flight number four-two-two, the plane is now on standby and ready to be boarded. Please proceed to gateway fourteen in an orderly file with your tickets in hand. Vector Air will be departing for Colorado in half an hour. Repeat. To all passengers of flight number four-two-two, the plane is now on standby and ready to be boarded. Please proceed to gateway fourteen in an orderly file with your tickets in hand. Vector Air will be departing for Colorado in half an hour. Thank you."_

The booming words echoed throughout the building, shattering the invisible walls that momentarily secluded the two from the rest the world. Suddenly, the noise was back. The whole airport came alive once again. Crowds formed in every direction. People were now restlessly lining up—everyone had a flight to catch. Reality had set back in.

"I-I have to go..."

Ben was suddenly jolted from his reverie by the muffled sound of his ringing phone. His eyes danced wildly as he scanned his room, trying hard to remember where he had placed, or misplaced it. The muffled tune playing quickly made its location evident, though, as Ben started digging through the pile of clothes that lay scattered on one end of his bed—the ones that didn't make the cut.

Sure enough, he found it lying beneath his old tracksuit as he hurriedly grabbed and answered it.

"Hello?" he called out almost breathless.

"I can already tell that you were in the middle of doing something. My timing's perfect as always," replied an all-too familiar feminine voice from the other end. Ben couldn't help but grin upon hearing her playfully smug tone.

"Not even a second off, Erika. So what's up?"

"I-it's nothing important. It's only been a while and I already miss picking up after you. I guess I got a little too used to it. It's too quite when you're not around, Ben-kun."

"Ah, I see. Well, you at least deserve some time away from me. Not to say that I don't miss you too, Erika, but you know..."

"Mhm, a whole year away from home must've been tough, but you were always so stubborn about going back home. Even on the holidays. And you never did tell me why. So mean of you."

"W-well, you see, it's kinda hard to explain, but I swear I'll give you the full details the very instant we meet again, promise."

"Eh? Assuming you managed to pass all the classes this year, Ben-kun." Erika's voice was a mixture of mild teasing and a little bit of worry.

"That was quite a harsh thing to say..."

"Uh, iie, don't worry, don't worry! I'm sure you did fine! I was only joking around," she nervously laughed.

"So you say," Ben sighed. "Although, I'm positive I would've never lasted as long as I did if it wasn't for you. So, thank you, Erika. I honestly don't know what I would do without you."

Ben swore he heard a gasp from the other end, followed by the sound of something hitting the floor. His listening ear picked up a few, rather unpleasant thuds, followed by brief static, and finally a muffled shriek that sounded strangely cute.

"Hey Erika, is everything alright?"

"Ah, I'm so sorry. I was careless for a moment and my phone slipped from my hands. It's kinda embarrassing, but I'm fine, though," Erika hastily replied. "Anyway, Ben-kun, I have to go now. I promised Mama I'd be preparing lunch today. It was nice hearing your voice again. Take care now, B-E-N-kun!"

"You too, Erika. Hope to see you soon." And with that the line went dead.

Ben smiled at himself as he held up the phone in front of him. He stared at the glowing screen—her name appeared quite a lot in the call logs.

Erika was the first ever friend Ben made in college—and essentially his best friend. In fact, the two hang around together so much they were often mistaken as a couple around campus, despite the both of them having feverishly denied it time and again. Regardless, they were regularly spotted eating lunch together either under the shade of Evergreen Colorado University's famous "200 Year-Old Tree", or sitting on one of the school benches; with Erika having always prepared a bento box for Ben.

She still had trust issues with Ben's 'cooking skills' after the fire incident.

After club activities, they would always wait for each other just outside the main gate, and walk home together. On some occasions, Ben would play a cruel joke on her along the way, and Erika would end up chasing after him all the way back.

Ben would later treat her to her favorite Peach Paradise Vanilla Shortcake bought from Magdeline's as an apology. It has become quite a routine.

Erika's parents own the dormitory at which Ben stays at. The dormitory itself is located about almost a full kilometer-and-a-half westbound from Evergreen Colorado University; in a small suburban town at the foot of one of Colorado's mountain ranges. The path to school is usually a much smoother walk compared to the one back, as the town is at a much higher altitude compared to the school. Going home by bike is a nightmare. But the wonderful view of lush flora all around makes it almost worthwhile.

The dormitory is not that big, with a maximum tenant capacity of fifteen people. It has gained quite the reputation, however, of having a very home-like feel to it, and the hospitality is apparently quite remarkable. Every year, hordes of students flock in just to try to get a reservation. Ben only managed to get in because of Max's innate ability to pull together a few strings.

Ben wouldn't get to know Erika until much later, though, as they one day happened to run into each other one day. Before that, he had no idea he would be crossing paths with his landlords' only daughter—or that they even had a daughter to begin with. Ben was always oblivious like that.

During his first week of school he had heard gossip of the school's famous idol; the admiration of almost all, who was known for her beauty, charm, intelligence, and almost impossible degree of kindness. Her name was Erika Misaki. She was a second year student, Vice President of the Student Council, top of her class, and a consistent target of a lot of school clubs and many love struck teens, despite having turned down the offers time and again. She was supposedly a little clumsy and had a knack for spacing out at times, but that somehow seemed to only boost her appeal more than anything else. Apparently, she also had so many talents that it bordered on the absurd.

Ben scoffed at the rumors. They sounded too good to be true. This 'school idol' seemed almost perfect.

And then one afternoon, after having amazed everyone during school soccer tryouts and was promptly recruited, Ben was absent-mindedly walking back to his dormitory, duffel bag slung on one shoulder, staring wistfully at the clouds above. He's been feeling homesick a lot lately, and it didn't help that he was very much alone and far away from home.

Trying to make friends has always been an issue for Ben Tennyson, even in the past. Despite his outspoken and brash nature, he wasn't very popular in school—or maybe it was because of it. But even as he mellowed down over the years, he still found it tough. Somehow, when it comes to socializing, all that trademark confidence of his flies straight out the window. Consider it his Kryptonite. Even his overwhelming popularity as a star soccer player did very little to actually improve his reputation. Turns out athletic scholarships didn't really impress a lot of people.

And the experiment of acting like an uncaring bad boy on the first day of school failed miserably.

"_Why did I ever think that would work? Jeez, what was I thinking?"_ he sighed, his head hanging low and his shoulders slumped as he recalled that painful day.

He was so preoccupied with his thoughts that he failed to notice the sound of running feet quickly growing louder.

Crash!

Ben lay on the concrete sidewalk, rubbing the searing pain at the back of his head. "Hey, watch where you're goi—!" he growled but stopped mid-sentence when he got a good look at the person who had just crashed into him.

"Kuu..." she moaned in pain, clutching her forehead with both hands, as she laid there in front of him with eyes closed, and her legs almost in an awkward kneeling position.

"Uhm..." Ben stared at the girl speechless; his eyes dutifully examining every inch of her. She was clad in the same uniform that the girls in his school were wearing. She wore long black stockings that ran up to her thighs. Her skin was cream white and flawless, and seemingly glowed as it basked in the light of the setting sun. She had an amazing figure, almost like a model, but with rounder curves. Ben looked on intently as her breasts bounced ever so slightly as she rubbed her forehead—they were magnificent, proudly straining against both the vest and the undershirt that held them captive. F-Cup? But what caught Ben off the most was how extremely cute this girl was—her face was soft and gentle, her lips supple and rosy. She sported silky chestnut hair that ran down to her neck; it parted on one side with bangs that covered her entire forehead. Tied to each side of her head were little red ribbons with a round silver bell attached to it.

Ben couldn't believe his eyes. It was as if he was looking at some sort of angel.

The girl had finally opened her eyes, only to see a rather dumbfounded Ben Tennyson lying in front of her, his mouth wide open like a little boy locked inside a toy store. Her eyes were a brilliant blue. Like the ocean, only better.

"Ah..." she gasped in panic as she hurriedly bowed deeply before him. "Gomennasai! I'm so very sorry! I was looking through my phone while running and I didn't see you. I didn't mean to—"

"N-no, it's alright. It was an accident after all," Ben quickly reassured her. Deep inside, he almost melted at the sweet sound of her voice. He stood up and dusted his pants before picking up the phone she dropped earlier and extending it to her.

The girl looked on for a moment before finally cracking a smile, as she gladly took the phone from his hand, their fingertips brushing against each other in the process. The brief contact was enough to send wonderful jolts of electricity through Ben's spine. He shook away the feeling as he then offered his hand at her, helping to pull her up. Her hands were very soft, he quickly noted to himself.

Now standing face to face, he noticed that she was a few inches shorter than him, her height at just barely above his nose level. Impressive, considering that he stood at about five-ten.

"You seemed to be in quite a hurry. Were you running late for something?" Ben asked, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible, as he watched her straighten her clothes out.

"H-hai, I was held up in a meeting and it went on longer than I expected. I have to get back home before it gets dark or Papa will get worried again." Despite sounding anxious, her voice was still so soothing.

"_Wait...meeting? And the uniform she's wearing. Plus, her looks, her personality... Could it be that..? No. Could be just a coincidence…"_

"Well, I wouldn't want to leave a poor girl out here at dusk by herself. And it seems I've cost you a bit of time as well, so would you mind if I offered to walk you home?" Ben smiled at her, nervously rubbing the back of his neck.

There was a tinge of red on the girl's cheeks as she looked a bit unsure for a moment, before finally returning his smile. "N-no, I don't mind. But it's quite the walk back, and I don't want to bother you. Nuevo Serra is still a bit far off from here."

"Well then, it looks like everything will work out just fine because that's where I also happen to be going," Ben grinned at her as he picked up the duffel bag lying on the cold, hard concrete and slung it on his shoulder.

"Is this what they call a 'fated meeting?'" the girl mumbled to herself with a half-smile.

"Huh, did you say something?" Ben tilted his head at her.

"Uh, no, no, it was nothing!" she quickly responded waving her hands in front of her, her face looking a bit flustered. "A-anyway, we should probably get going."

"Yeah, I guess. By the way, I'm Ben. Ben Tennyson."

"Pleased to meet you," she bowed a little towards him, before flashing a very warm smile. "My name is Erika. Erika Misaki."

"Erika...Misaki..."

"Ben! You've been up there a long time! Is everything alright?!" Ben heard his mother yell out from downstairs.

"Crap," he mumbled to himself as he looked at all the items he's yet to pack. "I'll be down in a sec, Mom!" he yelled back as he hurriedly brought out a stroller bag, unzipped it, and began wildly stuffing it with his belongings.

"I hope you weren't stuck daydreaming about this Erika person again!"

"Mom!"

"Kidding! Just kidding!"

"Sigh."

After a few minutes, Ben came downstairs and entered the kitchen lugging along a stroller bag and a suitcase with him. He was wearing his usual black top, but instead of his classic green jacket over it, he sported a black aviator jacket with two parallel white lines that ran from the shoulder down to the sleeves. Around his neck was a silver chain pendant with a little cross insignia etched on it. He also wore dark-colored jeans and black sneakers with the white soles and undercuts.

He's been into dark-colored clothing for some time now, but it has little to do with the bad boy image he once tried to pull off. Dark just seemed kind of cool, somehow.

"My, my, any darker and we might just get mistaken for a vampire. Is this all the rage with kids these days?" Sandra nonchalantly said as she glanced at her son out of the corner of her eye before returning back to her cooking.

"I think it has something to do with all this "Twilight" I keep hearing about nowadays. I'm surprised our Ben is into it, too. Well, trends and all," her husband, Ben's father, Carl, pitched in as he sat at the dining table with a newspaper spread in front of him.

"No, not really, both of you are wrong," muttered Ben with a sigh as he placed his belongings underneath the table and pulled up a seat across his father.

"Ah, it's so nice to have us all together at this table again, though, it appears it's short-lived. It didn't take long and Ben already has his bags with him again," Sandra chuckled as she placed a plateful of food in front of Ben. Despite trying to sound cheery, there was no hiding the subtle tone of hurt in her voice.

"Well, you know, a hatchling's bound to fly off its nest sooner or later. Our Ben is now a college student after all. A man has to learn how to live on his own is what I always say," Carl responded, grabbing his mug and taking a sip of coffee, and without really even taking his eyes off the newspaper.

"Right," Ben chimed in softly, as he stared at the plate of food in front of him with downcast eyes. The room instantly fell silent. Sandra was quietly washing the dishes and Carl was still fixated on his newspaper. Suddenly, the home that Ben knew started to not feel like a home. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"Listen, guys, I'm sorry for being away for so long. I should've...I know I...and I didn't mean—"

"Ben, stop," Carl interrupted him, finally lowering the newspaper and setting in on the table, as he turned to his son, with a smile of all things. "For what reasons you have, you don't have to apologize. You're home, that's all that matters. And to want to stay in Colorado for an entire year, it can only mean there was something there that made you happy; that inspired you. As your parents, there's nothing more we'd want for you than your happiness."

"And if anything we should be the ones apologizing, Ben," Sandra added. "Before you left for Colorado, we both knew you were unhappy for some time now. As parents, it should've been our job to look out for you, but we didn't. We knew there was something hurting you and we didn't do anything. And for that, we are really, really sorry. To be that irresponsible..," Sandra's words shook as they escaped her lips. She smiled at Ben regardless of how fake it looked. Even now, she always tries to keep her composure no matter the situation.

"No, it's my fault, too. You guys are my family. To not come home on Christmas...on New Year's Day, it's inexcusable. I was...just scared. I didn't want to confront my own problems here—not when I can forget about them in Colorado. I tried avoiding them instead of facing them like I should've done from the beginning. But I've come to terms with that now, so really, I should be the one sorry for being a horrible son. But still, you guys kept tabs on me, and were behind me one-hundred percent, so thanks," Ben smiled at both of them.

Sandra and Carl stared at him for a moment stunned, looked at each other briefly, before breaking into laughter.

"Well, it seems we're just a horrible family overall," Carl laughed, folding both his arms.

"You know you don't have to say that..." Ben and Sandra both said deadpan in unison.

"Ah, sorry, I'm sorry."

Ben smiled, feeling relieved, as though a huge weight has been taken off his shoulders. He looked at both his smiling father and mother as they playfully argued over something, though, he didn't really bother to listen to what it was. He only now noticed to cup of coffee that has been in front of him for some time and decided to take a sip.

"So, Ben, dear, you really must tell us more about this Erika person you keep mentioning on phone calls," Sandra said with a smirk.

Ben instantly spat the coffee in his mouth in surprise, his face looking very red.

"My, what an honest reaction—this girl must be something," Sandra grinned as she leaned with both hands on the table.

"How long have you two been going out? More importantly, is she easy on the eyes, son?" Carl chimed in with a smirk of his own.

"I-it's not...that is...we're not...she's just a friend..." Ben stuttered, raising both hands shoulder level in denial, as beads of sweat formed on his face.

"Oh, she's not your girlfriend? How boring. You know you should take action while you can. There's no telling who might sweep her off her feet if you don't," Sandra declared in a sort of mock Romeo gesture.

"I agree. If she can have this kind of effect on our Ben, I can tell she might be quite the catch. If so, stop lollygagging, son! You must answer the call of your heart. Make her fall for you like only a Tennyson can!" Carl exclaimed standing up and pointing his right hand skyward.

"Ah, how sweet young love is. Next thing you know, I'll have a grandson, or a granddaughter, or both! But I'm too young to be a grandmother!" Sandra smiled with her palms on her cheeks, as she shook her head excitedly.

"Could you two please act like normal adults?!" Ben growled at them both as his parents tried to suppress their laughter.

Suddenly, the sound of a honking horn caught the attention of the three, their little ruckus immediately subsiding as they turned their heads towards the sound.

The horn honked three more times in quick succession, as if letting them know that the car owner was waiting for them outside. The sound of the horn itself was all-too familiar to Ben, as he slammed both his hands on the table at the realization and immediately stood up from his seat, narrowly avoiding bumping his knee on the table in his haste.

"They're here!" he exclaimed a little too eagerly, as he quickly grabbed his belongings and headed for the door.

"But Ben, what about breakfast?" Sandra called out to him from the kitchen.

"I'll order out!" he shouted back as he grabbed the doorknob and turned it, swung the door open, stepped outside, and closed the door behind him with a bit of unintentional force.

His parents flinched somewhat at the sound of the door being slammed shut, but smiled regardless, as they looked at each other.

"Quite too eager to see her again, isn't he?" Carl hummed.

"Some things never change after all, I guess," Sandra chuckled with folded arms, as she shook her head.

Ben stood in his front yard, hands gripped tightly on both his stroller bag and his suitcase, as he looked on nervously at the parked vehicle just a few metres in front of him. He swallowed hard the lump in his throat as he stood there almost in anticipation of what's the come.

The car door then slid open as a rather hefty-looking man stepped outside before sliding the door back close. To any other normal human being who saw him, his frame would've been intimidating. He was almost as wide as two people and probably weighed just as much—but Ben's face didn't waver in front of him for even the slightest bit as the both of them eyed each other down. Then, the man's face shifted to that of a smile as he waved lightly at Ben.

"Hey there, kiddo, it's been a while." His demeanor was the complete opposite of what his appearance would've suggested.

Ben stared at him for a few more seconds before his expression finally softened, a mixture of overwhelming emotions flowing within him, as he quickly dropped the bags he was holding and running up towards the man.

"Grandpa!" Ben yelled out as he wrapped his arms around his grandfather, Max, almost toppling him over with his momentum.

"Oof! It's great to see you too, Ben," Max wheezed as he felt the air suddenly being forced out of his lungs, as he ruffled his grandson's hair.

Ben flashed a grin at his grandfather before pulling away with his arms folded, as he looked at him with a dubious face.

"You know, I've been hesitant about this ever since you made the call a week back. And I know you're not as oblivious as you like to make yourself seem, Grandpa. I sensed an ulterior motive from the very start, am I right? Still, I didn't think you could've actually pulled it off. I, myself, would've rejected the offer if I hadn't given it some thought," Ben mused, scratching the side of his head with his forefinger.

"Ah, well you caught me, kiddo," Max raised his hands in defeat. "You're sharper than I thought. Still, can't blame an old man for trying now, can you? And believe me, the hardest part of all of this was actually getting _you_ to say yes."

"What do you—?"

The two then heard the high-pitched creaking sound of a door opening a few good meters away.

"Oh, hey, Dad, great to see you," called out Carl as both he and Sandra stepped out of their home. "Finally found some time off from work?"

"Uh, yeah, convinced the guys upstairs that summer time is my special time for my grandkids," Max chuckled, rubbing the back of his head as he approached the two of them.

"The life of a plumber seems really tough, yet they're greatly underappreciated. It's seems unfair. There should be a "National Plumbers Day", I say," Sandra sighed, to which both Max and Carl just faked a laugh.

"Speaking of which, where is Gwen, anyway?" Carl then asked.

"Oh, she's still in the RV. She was in her bunk the last time I checked. Dozed off about an hour ago, so I just thought I'd give her some shut eye. I'll go wake her up now."

"I'll do it, Grandpa," Ben suddenly volunteered as he then started to reach for the handle of the car door.

"Wait, Ben, there's something I have to tell you about Gwen," Max said with an outstretched arm, as if trying to stop him.

As Ben shifted his gaze towards him, he found Max's expression to be quite surprising—his face almost dead serious. This was very unnerving, especially concerning Gwen. Was the extent of their relationship to now that bad, or has it even worsened during his absence? Did she swear her eternal hatred towards him upon learning of this trip? If so, why even agree to come in the first place? Ben tried to push away such disconcerting thoughts as he shook his head vigorously. Clearly, there was only one way to find out...

"I can handle it, Grandpa. Trust me," Ben replied, turning to Max with a confident, albeit forced smile, as he gave his grandfather a thumbs up.

He then turned towards the car door in front of him. Suddenly, all that false confidence seemed to have been sucked right out of him. To face her after such a long time; what was he supposed to say exactly? How will she respond to seeing him again? Suddenly, his aforementioned worries started to resurface. The multitude of negative scenarios and outcomes raced in his mind. His hand froze just inches away from the handle; his eyes staring blankly at the door in front of him.

"Oh dear..." Sandra murmured, her hand on her mouth, as the three of them watched Ben stiffen up almost to the point of looking like a statue.

"Do you think we should—?" Carl started before being interrupted by Max.

"Nah, I think he'll be fine," he stated in a tone that betrayed his serious expression.

"So what was it you were going to warn Ben about Gwen?" Carl then asked, raising his eyebrow at his father. Sandra then turned to Max with an equally confused look as well.

Ben could feel his own heart slamming against his chest as it raced uncontrollably, the frantic beating resonating in his head as though it were the sound of gunshots. He clutched at his chest with one hand as he drew out one long breath. He closed his eyes and exhaled deeply, repeating this a few more times until he felt his heart rate gradually returning back to normal.

"Well, you see, Gwen is... erm..." Max started, scratching the back of his head nervously.

"Is..?" both Carl and Sandra voiced out almost simultaneously.

"_Okay..."_ Ben thought to himself as he opened his eyes, looking very determined as he reached out for the handle again.

"Gwen is...uh...how should I say this?" Max said, looking very hesitant.

"Just spit it out already, Dad. It can't be that bad, right?" Carl replied, almost impatiently, as he worriedly glanced at Sandra and then at Ben.

"Well..."

Before Ben could get a grip on the handle, the car door suddenly slid by itself all the way open almost instantly. Then a flash of scarlet caught Ben's eyes, as they widened in shock at the sight before him.

"B-E-N!" the redhead shouted enthusiastically, as she suddenly leaped towards the very surprised Ben with arms wide open.

"G-G-G-Gwen?! Wait!" Ben shouted as he feverishly shook his hands at her, before desperately trying to shield himself for the inevitable collision.

The resounding impact was enough to send a flock of birds from some nearby trees wildly skittering in all directions.

"H-hey, wait! What're you doing, Gwen?!" Ben cried out as he found himself lying on the grass with Gwen on top of him, trying hard to break free from her grasp as she wrapped her arms tighter around him.

"Ben, I miss you so much!" she gushed, completely ignoring his struggling, as she nuzzled her head on his neck affectionately.

"C'mon, Gwen, let me go!" Ben gritted as he squirmed helplessly underneath her anaconda-like grip. He then felt something soft press against him and suddenly his face turned bright red.

"Uwaa! Gwen, i-it's touching! It's touching!" he yelped in panic, struggling even more to break free.

"Oh, so you like that, huh? Jeez, Ben, you pervert!" Gwen cried out blushing, as she pressed against him even more. The feeling was incredible. It felt like heaven. This was so wrong but...

"_Soft..."_ Ben thought to himself, his eyes spinning, as a trail of blood suddenly ran down his nose.

"Huh, Ben? Are you alright?" Gwen tilted her head as she waved a hand in front of his face, but there was no response. He was out.

"Erm, what the heck just happened here, Dad?" Carl blinked at what had just transpired in front of him as he turned towards Max.

"Well, I'm not too sure myself, but all I know is Gwen's been 'eager' to see Ben, to say the least, ever since I picked her up. Wouldn't stop asking about the boy the whole trip to here, but this is at least better than before...I guess," Max sighed as he watched the two with a small smile.

"Well, it's certainly... interesting," chimed in Sandra, her eyes twitching as she watched Gwen sitting on top of her unconscious son and wildly shaking his shoulders.

"It's like she did a one-eighty," added Carl with a nervous laugh. "We might have to ask Frank and Lili about this."

"Well, at least they're not fighting anymore," Max said quite low as he cleared his throat. "Gwen, honey, why don't you, uh, bring Ben's bags inside the RV and let the boy have a bit of a breather, eh?"

"Okay, Grandpa," Gwen said hesitantly as she glanced worriedly at her lifeless cousin before getting off of him as she hurriedly ran to pick up his bags and running back and disappearing inside the RV.

"Ben, you go help her unpack; it's your stuff after all," Max ordered Ben when he noticed the boy come to, as he sat up grimacing in pain from his earlier assault.

"What?! No way!" Ben shouted back as he quickly stood up. "Did you see what happened back there?! Gwen's totally lost it!"

"She's just... excited to see you again, Ben. It's been a long time after all," Sandra smiled at him as she gestured her son to go after Gwen.

"Well, she's making the effort—a lot more than we would expect. You owe it to her to do the same, son," Carl said as Max and Sandra nodded in agreement.

"Try to think of it as her way of saying sorry, Ben," Max added.

"Fine, fine. I guess you're right," Ben sighed in defeat as he entered the RV, begrudgingly mumbling something to himself as he did so.

"Make sure not to miss a single, interesting moment," Sandra then whispered to Max as she handed him a camera.

"I can only imagine where this is headed," Carl groaned as he slapped his forehead.

"I'll do my best to make sure they'll last more than a week," Max smiled as he waved the camera around.

Ben shifted his gaze left and right as he examined the interior of the RV. The lights were off, and it was quite dark inside, save for the weak sunlight that shone through the drawn-out curtains of the nearby windows—it made for quite an eerie sight. Ben, however, was more concerned of what actually was in the darkness rather than the darkness itself.

"Gwen, where are you?" he called out but there was no response. He made his way past the familiar couches and table that both he and Gwen spent so much time arguing on when they were younger, using his right hand to skim pass the objects as a guide, and also to savour a bit of the nostalgia.

He knocked twice at the bathroom door, and when no answer came, he turned the doorknob and slowly opened it, covering his eyes with one hand, only looking through the tiny slit he made with his two fingers. Nothing.

He closed the bathroom door softly, and headed for the bunk beds. He smiled a bit as he remembered all the crazy stuff that has happened here in the past; the fighting, the arguing, the tender moments, and, of course, the sleeping.

"How time flies," Ben whispered to himself with a grin. Then he felt something poke his shoulder, startling him a bit, as he quickly turned around, only to see Gwen smiling brightly at him.

"Huh, Gwen, so there you are," Ben stated nervously, taking a tiny step back as he eyed her with caution.

"Remembering the past, hmm? It's nice to reminisce of fond memories. But there's something even better, you know," she innocently pouted, bringing her forefinger up to her lips.

"I-is that so? And what might that be?" Ben had a feeling he would regret asking.

Gwen lowered her head and closed her eyes, tucking her arms behind her, as her body slightly swayed back and forth. "Making new ones, of course," she said quite low, her face blushing as she looked up at him with the cutest of smiles.

"I-I see," Ben replied as he found himself blushing as well. "Well, I'm looking forward to it," he said smiling back at her.

"That's why..."

"Eh?"

"... We should make one right now and kiss!" Gwen exclaimed passionately with eyes shining, clasping her hands together.

"W-wait, Gwen. We shouldn't! I mean...this is..!" Ben stammered as he tried to distance himself from the advancing Gwen. With no more room left, his legs bumped against the edge of the bunk, and he found himself falling back and now lying on the bunk and at the mercy of Gwen. He continued to back up until he literally felt his back against the wall.

"There's no need to be shy, Ben. It's just the two of us, after all," she cooed as she crawled up on the bunk and on top of him, tracing the contours of his chest with her finger before cupping his face with her hands.

"G-Gwen, h-hold on! What if Grandpa or my parents see us?!" Ben gasped out as he felt his body stiffen up under her touch.

"You worry too much, Ben. For now, let's just live for the moment, okay?" Gwen lustfully smiled at him before leaning in, her lips slowly inching towards his.

"N-no! Gwen!"

"Ben~!"

"Wh-what the hell is going on?!"

* * *

**A/N:** For more tidbits on chapter 1 visit my profile. I will post facts for each current chapter published. As for any grammar or spelling errors, I will deal with them once I go over this fic again. For now, ignore and enjoy. Peace.


	2. Confusion

**A/N:** To be clear:

1. Yes, this is written in anime-style. I feel like writing in anime for once. I find it enjoyable.

2. This is mostly romance/comedy.

3. Plot? What's that? Seriously, though, there are some character developments.

4. Expect more characters appearing soon.

5. Also, OOC. Logic need no longer apply.

* * *

**Chapter Two: Confusion**

_My name's Ben Tennyson. I'm a former hero; also, I'm an ex-Plumber; and a soccer ace. Oh, and my beloved cousin is totally nuts..._

The morning sunlight shone brilliantly through the wide, square glass window of the back of the RV. Its dazzle created a myriad of colored spectrum that seemingly danced around every surface it reflected upon. Strange—usually the curtains would be there to absorb most of the glare of this unwelcomed visitor who wished to deprive one of valuable sleeping time, yet...

Ben scrunched his eyes as he suddenly found himself bombarded with unpleasant rays of light. He was never a morning person even to this day, despite being in college. Yet, it was the motivation of missing an all-important test that day, or a crucial assignment to be passed, that urged him to rise each morning, like a zombie begrudgingly brought back to life. He had to admit that on some days he did sleep in and miss first to second period at most—but on such occasions, he'd have to face the verbal lashing of his definitely-not-girlfriend Erika if she found out. She always did.

Ben sighed as he finally opened his eyes, only to see the familiar, somewhat worn-out, white ceiling of the RV illuminating a morning glow. He blinked a couple of times in silence, his mind groggily transfixed at the ceiling he's seen multiple times in the past. Guess there were instances where the human brain can be likened to a computer. Ben just wishes his start-ups were just as quick as his shut-downs.

Yesterday has been the strangest thing that has ever happened to Ben Tennyson—and we're talking about a guy who used to transform into a multitude of alien creatures using a high-tech watch, and battle all sorts of weirdness ranging from a squid-face tyrant seeking universal conquest, to energy beings who can manipulate magic on a whim. Yet...yet, they all fall shy of this recent development. This—just tops the cake.

How did it even come to this? It was like a parallel universe. Did he step into the Twilight Zone or something, or was all the pressure finally getting to him? Was this some kind of sick dream? No, even dreams aren't this messed up. It definitely wasn't just his imagination, either; yet, he still finds it so hard to believe even now. Perhaps, yesterday was a fluke. A once-in-a-lifetime occurrence that will never show face again.

Hopefully.

Ben drew out a long sigh that's usually reserved for pop quizzes and Algebra homework.

Just as he was going to sit up, he found that his body felt heavier than usual—even more than usual. And usually, he felt very heavy in the morning. It was like some invisible force was pinning him down—and, hold on, why does his left arm feel completely numb?

He used his right arm to peel back the blanket that had covered him up to his neck, and to his surprise–well, not really–Gwen was cozily in deep slumber beside him, her head using Ben's left arm as a pillow, with half her face buried in his chest. There was the slightest bit of dry drool on her somewhat open mouth, and some on his shirt, though he questions if it actually happened during her sleep. She had one arm loosely wrapped around his torso, while her smooth, slender, overly exposed legs were entangled in one of his own.

Ben's left eye twitched in annoyance.

"Gwen, would you kindly get off?" he whispered to her, poking her cheek with his right index finger, to which she just lazily shrugged off, wrapping even tighter to him.

"Kyuu~ Bwen, I'm notf shure if I'm reafy. Phleash be gentflengghh..." she mumbled, her face buried deeper in his chest. He could even feel her abnormally overjoyed smile through his shirt, causing him to shiver as to what this girl is actually dreaming about.

"Gwen, seriously, get off!"

The RV rocked lightly following a loud thud. Gwen moaned a bit in pain, as she sat sprawled on the floor, rubbing her back.

"Jeez, Ben, that was really uncalled for. What did you do that for? Especially to a sleeping girl," she stated groggily, as though oblivious to any possible wrong thing she might have did.

"What do you mean, "What did I do that for?!" Why were you on my bunk, anyway?! " he shouted rather quickly as a retort, as he sat at the edge of his bed facing her, with his knees tucked.

"Ah, hmm...well, I was going to wake you up, you see, but then I saw you sleeping so soundly and..." she gushed, her face a deep scarlet, as her mind seemed to wander off to some perverse thought. How can Ben tell? Well, let's just say her face was giving off some very, very knowing vibes. Chilling vibes.

"Enough with your crazy delusions and continue," Ben scolded in a monotone, lightly smacking the top of her head.

"Yes..." she answered back weakly with a pout as she sat more erect. "Anyway, I was innocently watching you sleep. You had the cutest expression on your face, and I just couldn't help but stare."

Translation: Gwen was at the point of drooling as she knelt in front of the bed with her hands on her cheeks, as she watched her cousin with an almost trance-like blissful state.

"Why does it feel like I can't buy a word you say..?" Ben muttered to himself.

"Well, I guess I must have dozed off," she stuck out her tongue carelessly.

"_But how did you get on top of my bed—no, why do you seem scarier with each passing day?"_ Ben thought, lowering his head with a sigh.

"So why do you have to go and push me off?" Gwen whined, almost childlike, as she tugged lightly at his black polo shirt.

"You have to ask? It's becau—" Ben started but froze mid-sentence when he noticed something odd about Gwen—aside from the ones already mounting up.

"Hold on, why the hell are you wearing my shirt?!"

Indeed, Gwen was wearing one of Ben's button shirts as it hung loosely on her body. The sleeves were so long that they almost hid her entire hands, save for the tips of her fingers that showed. It was buttoned almost all the way up with the top two buttons left undone. Below, she seemed to be wearing nothing; her bare legs completely exposed up to her thighs. Hopefully, she had the decency to put on panties underneath. Luckily, at least, the shirt was big enough to act like an oversized pajama.

"Well, it looked so loose, warm, and comfy that day when I was sorting (rummaging through) your stuff, that I just had to try it on. Plus, it still has most of your scent on it," she mewed, rubbing her face satisfyingly on one of the sleeves.

Ben couldn't help but turn red at the sight, contemplating whether it was somewhat flattering, or very creepy. As he saw his cousin completely lose herself, wearing and indulging on one of his shirts, he was soon convinced—yes, it was very creepy.

"Oh, well, that explains tha...did you drop your head some time back or something? Please stop with all the ridiculousness and take off my shirt," he said rather sternly, like a parent scolding a child. At the moment, Ben was certain that was what Gwen was—a child. But her assaults were anything but childish.

After hearing him, Gwen's expression quickly changed, as she eyed him down with a death glare, her lips shaped into a frown, cheeks puffing. Ben was taken back by the sudden mood shift, his head rearing back slightly, as he exchanged looks with his unnervingly unpredictable cousin. They stared at each other for a few more seconds, until Gwen lowered her head a bit.

"Pervert," she muttered.

"Huh?"

"I'm not wearing anything underneath, you know, and if you wanted to see so badly..." Gwen started to unfasten the top third button despite already showing some generous amount of cleavage to begin with. "You should've just said so..." her voice was low, her cheeks flustered. Looks like Gwen was still capable of showing some genuine embarrassment, after all, although...

"H-hey, don't misunderstand! And you're not in the position to be calling someone a pervert, anyway!"

Ben may be at his wit's end. Anymore of this torture and the resolve that he's managed to keep all this time might just crumble completely. And there's no guarantee what it'll lead to, other than more trouble. Her somewhat exposed breasts are already pushing him to his limit. Yes, they were formidable opponents.

Gwen raised a questioning look, her hands fixed on the fourth button she was about to unfasten, but stopped her actions. She looked at him blankly, and again both of them exchanged silent stares.

"So, I should strip?"

"Hell, no!"

"Ah, I honestly don't get you," Gwen sighed, shaking her head.

"_That's supposed to be my line..."_

"Anyway, since we're both wide awake," Gwen said as she stood up and spread her arms wide across, with her lips all puckered up. "How about a good morning kiss?!"

"How can you say something like that so casually?!"

Gwen blinked. "Was my approach all wrong? Should I have gone with, 'Ben, let's touch lips'?!"

"That's the same thing!"

She tilted her head. "Tongue?"

"That's even worse!"

"How about a good morning kiss?!"

"We're right back to where we started..."

Ben sighed as he palmed his entire face. Adjusting himself so that both his feet touched the floor while he remained sat up atop his bed; he placed both hands on Gwen's shoulders just as his head slumped—looking like he was at the point of breaking down, and was pleading for divine mercy.

"Please don't treat this like some sort of running gag. You're not just doing some _gap moe _thing, or whatever it is they call it, just to spite me, are you? If this is some form of payback for these last three years, then I'm truly, very sorry. Really, I do regret it. But if you're just messing with my head because you hate me then—"

"Huh? Ben, I don't hate you," she replied, her voice without the slightest bit of malice. In fact, it sounded very sincere.

Ben gazed up to face her upon hearing those words; upon hearing the way she said them. He was surprised to see her expression so innocent; she looked as if she wasn't vaguely aware of what he was talking about.

She didn't remotely resemble the Gwen he once knew—personality-wise, that is. It was as if this was a completely different person before him that only looked the part. Yes, she had the trademark long, scarlet hair; the pale, white skin; the plump, red lips; those dazzling, green eyes; the slender build with modest curves. Even her breast size was in order—perky; not too robust, but not lacking, either. Hold on, how exactly did he come to know that in the first place?

Wait, never mind that—more importantly, was the redhead beauty in front of him a fake? Was this Gwen merely a clone for some sort of alien conspiracy, or perhaps sent to take him out? As in six feet under? No, by then she'd already had if she wanted to. A spy? No, Grandpa wouldn't be fooled so easily with such a cheap impersonation—and yet, he was. In fact, all of them were. Still, it would have been too easy that way. If so...

"Gwen, I don't get it. So why...?"

"I don't hate you," she repeated those words with an evident blush, as she smiled at him. "I don't. In fact... Ben, I... Ben, I love you!" she suddenly exclaimed, quickly looking down with eyes closed as though embarrassed of her own words.

"Eh?"

_... "EH?!"_

"I love you so much that I can't stand it! I love you so much that there isn't a single moment when you're not on my mind! I love you so much that I don't want to ever be without you again! I love you, idiot! I love you! I love you! I L-O-V-E Y-O-U!" she screamed out, almost sounding frustrated. No, she definitely was.

Ben's eyes widened. Stunned. Her words still rung in his ears like a cavalcade of tiny bells. Her sudden confession–now, a far cry from her current persona –but somehow, was more Gwen-like than everything else she did to this point. He was convinced; she was definitely the real deal. But why? Everything is still so hard to comprehend.

"Gwen, I don't... I still don't understand but..." he took his hands off her shoulders and proceeded to wrap them around her neck, as he pulled the girl who refused to look at him in for an embrace. She was slightly trembling, and felt somewhat warm.

"Ben, I don't... hate you..." she murmured, sounding as if she started sobbing. Sure enough, Ben soon felt the area of his shirt where she had her head buried gradually growing damp.

* * *

"Thank you, sir! Come again!"

Ben sighed as he stood outside the glass door of a small convenience store, holding at least three or four plastic bags full of groceries in each hand. Earlier that morning, Grandpa Max had him go buy some supplies for the trip as he had some "pressing matters to attend to with a few old buddies nearby that shouldn't take long."

He always used that line as far back as Ben could remember. Must've been an old Plumber mantra he didn't know about. Could be a code word for drinking. But as far as he was concerned, it was a catchphrase he grew tired with—especially when it was one of those days that he didn't see eye-to-eye with Gwen, and didn't particularly want to be in the RV with just the two of them. Most of the time, it usually didn't end well.

Today was a different scenario, same case.

The plastic bags strained heavily on his left arm. It hasn't been the same ever since the nerve damage it suffered a few years back during The Great Centauri War. The two dislocated knuckles he got from some other war he couldn't recall didn't help, either. Maybe he shouldn't have used aliens that specialized in punching as much as he did. He vastly underestimated how much abuse his own body took in return. Still beats having metal plates screwed into your neck, though. I guess even the universe's most powerful weapon has its downsides.

Still, to be able to do the things he does to this point is no small feat. Max even said that a normal human being by now would have trouble just walking—much less having to play soccer on a pro's level. But Ben was anything but normal, however, as Max would put it, "He may seem scrawny and meek, but make no mistake, this kid hits like a heavyweight boxer. Heck, possibly even more." It was even written in the official Plumber's database. It didn't take long before people in the agency started calling him "Champ." A moniker he's both a bit embarrassed and proud of to hear.

But at the moment, it seems as though The Champ has met his match in grocery shopping. His left arm trembled slightly under the weight of the three heavy plastic bags. Maybe having her tag along wouldn't have been so bad after all.

Right now, the three of them were stuck in some small, modest town atop a mountainside right in the middle of nowhere. It was almost noon and the sun was as brilliant as ever, but as was synonymous with mountain regions, it felt close to below freezing. It was just like Colorado.

Ben knew better to have brought a jacket along, but he was a bit keen to leave the RV for some much needed alone time, and forgot to do so in his haste. Of course, before that, Gwen insisted—no, persisted—on coming along with him, but Max didn't want the RV to be left alone unguarded, and so, after a small tantrum and a few back and forth's, Gwen finally reluctantly agreed to stay inside—much to Ben's relief.

Gwen, to this point, has been an absolute mystery to him. Her behavior is nothing short of erratic and completely out-of-character. Sure, he was happy that the both of them managed to patch things up—sort of—and, admittedly, this beats her ignoring him by a long shot, but still, it feels completely weird for your cousin to suddenly switch personalities and start getting overly-affectionate with you. Hopefully, she doesn't cross any boundaries outside of this outlandish schoolgirl crush. But who's to say? She's utterly unpredictable as it is.

Take for example earlier this morning—after another one of her 'advances of love', as she now likes to put it—at a certain point during their exchanges, she just suddenly broke down in tears and started screaming about how much she loved him, again and again. Of course, in the end it all culminated into a reassuring hug. But one can't simply overlook that abrupt, if not genuine confession. The question now is: Why him? Why now?

Although, as he should have expected, it didn't take long before Gwen reverted back to her current persona and started 'lovingly' assaulting him again. Fortunately, the best she could manage was a harmless kiss. Unfortunately, he quickly found out soon after that she definitely wasn't wearing any panties.

Luckily, Grandpa Max had a reputation for sleeping through a hurricane. But again, unluckily, Gwen knows this, too.

What happened exactly in those three years that drove them apart that suddenly made Gwen like this? Was it the pressure? The distance? Was she so hung over her break-up with Kevin that she couldn't think straight now? That the natural second closest person to her became her scapegoat for frustration? That last one sounded a bit too much, though. Surely, even Gwen wouldn't think like that. Hopefully. Was it an entirely different thing altogether? I mean, does it really sound farfetched to just suddenly fawn over the person you hated for some time now?

But then she did say she _didn't_ hate him. This was all so terribly confusing.

Regardless, Ben was determined to know what happened exactly. He doesn't hate the Gwen of now, to be honest, but he would rather much have the Gwen of old. The Gwen he grew up with. That was the Gwen he wanted. This new one would take some time to crack, though. Her constant perverted assaults and overall indifference to Ben's own unwillingness prove to be huge hurdles.

Still, he hopes to be able to help Gwen; to bring her back to her old self. Otherwise, he might just be the one to crack.

* * *

"I'm back," Ben called out in a weak monotone as he slid open the RV door and stepped inside. Just as he did, his whole body immediately stiffened up, as though instinctively bracing itself for another one of Gwen's now-routine assaults.

Then he heard the pitter-patter of light footsteps coming his way. Immediately, a ghastly chill ran down his spine, as he quickly lowered his head and gritted his teeth hard, as his hands gripped intensely at the slightly trembling plastic bags he forgot he was still holding. This time, it wasn't just his left arm that felt somewhat numb.

_Oh, why did she have to be a black belt in karate? Why did she have to be physically stronger than he was? Why did Grandpa decide to also train her despite all her already present advantages? Why did she also have to be an energy being with limitless psionic potential? Most importantly, why can't he count on the Omnitrix at a time like this?_

Who to thought that the mighty Ben Tennyson—hero of heroes and savior of the universe—would be so easily brought to his knees by his cousin—a seemingly harmless and cute girl? No, that's far from the truth. She's a possibly omnipotent, physically superior, lovestruck, overly-aggressive, lust-driven, slightly loopy teen. Those combinations of adjectives shouldn't even coexist with each other.

So far, Gwen's harassments have been pretty tame even by her standards, but they seem to slowly escalate with each subsequent one. Ben's had the feeling she's been somewhat holding back, crazy as it sounds. What if she actually decides to let lose? Countermeasures should be considered then. What if he turned the tables and does a similar approach? Hit her with her own medicine? Wait, what the hell brain?! Wouldn't that just work in her favor? Stupid!

And trying to resist would just further agitate Gwen, who's had a long history of being irrevocably persistent, unless you're able to push the right buttons. Fortunately, Ben was one of those few people who knew just the right buttons to push. But that doesn't mean he would always get the upper hand. In fact, he seldom does—ever since they were just little kids. He's just been incredibly lucky to this point. But even luck tends to run out.

His eyes stayed transfixed at the rugged, worn-out, red carpet beneath his feet. The sound of footsteps finally stopped just as Ben saw a pair of delicate, white feet enter his field of vision. His eyes instantly locked unto them. It didn't take a genius to figure out who they belonged to, but still, there was that tiny part of him that wished he was wrong.

His eyes silently glided upward, mentally tracing the curves as he glanced at the knees, and then upper to the nicely rounded thighs. They were creamy-white and shining—almost too inviting. But there was something obstructing them for Ben to truly appreciate them in their entirety. Wait, this was supposed to be a good thing, right? The upper half of her thighs were somewhat concealed by some form of white fabric that fluttered loosely about. For some reason, it irritated Ben a bit as his eyes quickly darted upward, but he quickly came to regret doing so.

"G-Gwen? Just what is all this?" he almost choked upon seeing Gwen standing in front of him with a bright smile, clad in yet another one of his shirts—a red t-shirt this time—that was clearly too big for her, and something else.

A white apron.

It was a low-cut one that just barely covered her thighs. At the chest area there was a cute, cartoon-ish picture of a panda bear's head, Gwen's favorite animal, sewed on, so this apron clearly belonged to her. But still... why?

"Welcome home, dear," Gwen stated softly, trying to sound as refined as she possibly could. "Would you like dinner first? ... Or a bath? ... Or would you rather have m—?"

"We are not doing that tired, old, shtick," Ben interrupted, lightly smacking the top of her head.

"Buzzkill..." Gwen muttered back, sticking her tongue out at him as she rubbed her head.

She then received another smack on the head.

"Kyuu... Hey, what was that one for?"

"_That_ was for doing something so unoriginal," Ben replied with a half-smirk as he proceeded to pat lightly the head of a now pouting Gwen.

"Now you're just being mean at this point," she whined softly, blushing a bit at Ben's action, but, regardless, turned her head away from him, trying to look annoyed. Ben just chuckled lightly at her rather cute expression.

"Anyway, disregarding the fact that you're wearing one of my shirts _again_, what's with the... no, first off, you _are_ wearing panties, right?"

Gwen nodded obediently, lifting both her apron and oversized shirt to reveal a white, laced panty with strawberry prints. Ben's face quickly turned beet red.

"You know, you didn't have to _actually_ show me!" he growled, to which Gwen only stuck out her tongue and winked at him. "Well, anyway, what's with the apron?"

Suddenly, Gwen's face lit up with a smile as she pinched the edges of the apron and raised them slightly, as though performing a small curtsy.

"You like it? I wanted to surprise you with this look. Well, does it set your heart ablaze? Do you feel turned on? Don't you just want to pounce at me and do all sorts of stuff to me against my will?"

"Not in the slightest bit..." Ben quickly answered back in monotone without missing a stride.

"Cruel!" Gwen sunk, disheartened.

"As far as you trying to seduce me, it ain't gonna work. It's just not possible for me to be attracted to my own cousin regardless of how cute she looks," Ben declared triumphantly with a confident smile.

Gwen clicked her teeth in frustration. "True. And you haven't even just once masturbated to me during the trip so far..."

"How did you even reach that conclusion?" Ben stared at her with a dubious look.

"Ah, well, I checked to see if there were any tissues in the tra—"

"No, wait! I don't even wanna know!" Ben quickly interrupted with an outstretched hand. "In any case, you should give up while you can. Nothing you do will ever make me fall for you so, you know, just go back to being your old, true self and stop with all these nonsense."

Gwen's face darkened as she fell silent, her entire body slumping like a string-puppet cut loose. Just as Ben was certain this was his victory; that he finally got through Gwen, he was surprised to see her raise her hand and place it on her chest where her heart would be.

"I have no idea what you're talking about, Ben. This _is_ the real me. These are my true feelings. If you think what you see now is some sort of fake, then you're wrong. And no matter what, I'll convince you that it's real... That all of this is... All of me is." Her voice was hoarse but she held unto her words firmly.

"Gwen..."

"This is the only way I know how... so that I don't get scared. So that I'll even be brave enough. And I couldn't stand it... You were gone for so long. It was hard not to think about it... Every day, I had to find a way to ease the pain. Every night, I'd do these things... And I think of you. All because of you, Ben..."

Ben looked on silently at the girl in front of him. Just the way her face twitched and scrunched to fend herself from crying made his throat feel insanely dry. It suddenly felt hard to breathe—the room felt too suffocating; too constricting. It was hot inside regardless of how madly the air conditioner blew. He was sweating; would the appropriate term be 'cold sweat'?

"Gwen... I don't... s-sorry... I..."

"Don't worry about it," Gwen hiccuped as she rubbed her eyes with her hand. "I don't blame you. It was nothing you did, so I'm sorry if I'm making you feel guilty or anything," she smiled at him warmly, which reassured Ben a little.

"But just so you know, Ben, I won't stop me being me. And I'll definitely make you fall for me as I am. So prepare yourself; I won't go easy."

* * *

_**A/N:** This chapter would've gone longer with more material, but I was convinced this was a good place to stop. Plus, I don't want the chapter to drag on and bore you guys, so I best save those materials for another time. More facts about this chapter in my profile, so check it out! It's unfortunate, though, I couldn't fit more laughs in, but hey, at least Gwen is starting to open up, eh? Till the next chapter. Peace off!_


	3. Companions

Erika: Ohayou. Erika here to welcome you all to chapter three of _Changes_. Mr. BG-sama was kind enough to dedicate this chapter to both Ben-kun and mine's school life together. This will also replace the _Author's Notes_ from now on so we'll have more interaction with the characters in this story. Isn't that great?

Gwen: Uwaa... Y-you mean I won't be in this chapter at all?!

Erika: Ah... Gomen ne, Gwen-san, I'm sure you'll get your turn soon. *sweatdrop*

Gwen: Kuuu... Well, I guess it wouldn't kill me to not get lovey-dovey with Ben for one cha—wait a minute, who are you again?

Erika: Ara ara? Well, I guess we haven't met in person after all, so this should be expected. Pleased to meet you. I'm Erika Misaki!

Gwen: E-ri-ka?

Erika: Hai! But you can call me Misaki. I can't wait to truly meet you in—

Ben: H-hold on, Erika! Now isn't the time for impromptu meet-ups!

Gwen: ... B-E-N! Please explain to me who this ridiculously cute girl is, and why she knows you! *glaaare*

Ben: G-G-Gwen! T-that is... er... now isn't a good time! We don't want to be messing around with canon after all! BG's gonna freak if we force him to retcon this entire story!

Gwen: Hmpf, I guess so. Either way, Misaki, just so you know, Ben is off-limits! His heart, body, and soul solely belong to me! Especially his body!

Erika: Eh?

Ben: Sigh. Don't mind her, Erika. She's... well, let's leave that up to the story. We're dragging enough as it is.

Erika: Hai! Sorry again, Gwen-san! I'm sure we'll clear out all the misunderstandings sooner or later.

Gwen: Tch, you're lucky you're cute or I would have mana-blasted you out of this story by now.

Erika: Er... Arigato? Ah, I almost forgot, I have a meeting to attend to! I'll leave you two to wrap this up. See you guys later!

Ben: BG's so not gonna be happy with this very long intro we just did... well, anyway, this is Changes chapter three, I guess.

Gwen: Seriously, though, what is up with you and Japanese girls...?

Ben: ... What did I tell you about making obscure references?

Gwen: Kyaa, I'm sorry! I'll offer you my virginity as an apology!

Ben: I don't want it!

* * *

**Chapter Three: Companions**

_My name's Ben Tennyson. I'm a former hero, an ex-Plumber, a college student, and, well... I'm..._

"Hnngh! Ben-kun, it's time to get up! We're both gonna miss first period _again_!" Erika puffed as she shook vigorously the covers of the bed, nudging back and forth the deadweight that lay underneath.

"Uhhh... Gimme five more minutes..." Ben called out weakly against the fabric as he turned his back to her, wrapping the covers more tightly around his body like a cocoon.

"You've been saying that for the past half-hour now! Jeez, I don't even know why I bother. We're not even in the same class or year, and yet..." Erika looked on earnestly at the sleeping figure before her for a moment, her lips both slightly pouting and smiling at the same time, "... In any case, I can't just let you ditch school because you feel like it. C'mon now, Ben-kun!" she pleaded as she started shaking the covers yet again with more force this time.

"I can't move. This bed's sucking me in like a black hole. Go on without me, Erika. Save yourself," Ben replied in a monotone, as he rolled comfortably to his side.

"Baka! Unyuu, you really are helpless. Fine, it's come to this then."

The springs beneath the bed made a low straining sound, as the mattress pressed downward with the additional weight that was transferred. Ben too, suddenly felt this weight as the air was forced out of him—his hip region was now feeling very heavy.

"What the..?" he gasped as he lifted the covers from his head, only to be struck with the realization that a somewhat flustered Erika was now on top of him... and, well, was looking at him awkwardly.

She was already in her uniform—vest, skirt, stockings, and all—and now straddled on top of an adolescent boy living on his own. A really cute girl on top of a boy. Living on his own. A girl whose parents own the roof the boy is currently living under. That girl is now on top of him. A tenant and the landlords' daughter. In such a position. Oh, no.

"Erika, what... What do you think you're...?" His face was deep scarlet and his eyes were wide, as he suddenly felt like he was losing a pulse or two. What was this scenario? How often does this even happen in real life?

"W-well, I figured this might catch your attention, a-and..." Honestly, Erika wasn't sure what to do next, or why she even did this to begin with.

"_That wasn't much of a plan, after all,"_ she thought as she glanced at the confused-looking Ben blushing, and staring right at her. That look of his might have been infectious as Erika found herself blushing harder than before.

"W-well, are you awake now?" she asked, sounding as timid as a mouse. Her voice was so impossibly cute, it's ridiculous. Ridi-cute-lous? If there was a word to describe her voice, should it be, 'Erika-like'? Should the 'Erika Scale' be the measuring stick of cuteness? How can one girl stand to be so cute in every aspect?

"_T-this is a test. It's a test of my resolve living on my own. That's right. I have to overcome this not only for my friendship with Erika, but also if I can even hope to overcome the bigger picture. This is the ultimate trial of fire for a man such as myself."_

Ben swallowed hard and faced Erika with renewed confidence, trying to form the most poised smile he could muster.

"Eh, Ben-kun, what's with that face you're making?" Erika tilted her head, looking at him with that quizzical look of hers that only she can pull off. Her cheeks were rosy, her eyes shining, and her mouth slightly agape. And her lips—Ben could write an entire paragraph about them. Damn it, it's the dreaded 'Erika face'!

Ben stared at her for another few seconds before quickly burying his face under the covers.

"Eh?! Ben-kun, what's wrong? Did I do something weird?!"

"_Crap, I can't do it, after all! She's on a whole other tier! I get an F! A big, stinking F! I'm sorry, Erika. I'm a horrible friend—but you can't go on doing stuff like that to a friend as horrible as me. I'm undeserving to even be in the same room as you—much less have you be on top of me. Gah, I'm getting un-friend-like thoughts again. Double F! Raising an awareness flag!"_

Ben has always thought Erika was way out of his league. It's even a miracle a girl like her would even waste her time with a useless nobody like him. She's a straight A student – well, she did get a B+ once; probably one of the most, if not _the_ most popular girl in school; she's a graceful klutz (how does that even work?); she's so unbelievably cute that dictionaries everywhere should just attach a photo of her next to the word; and a powerhouse in school politics, despite seemingly always being late or dozing off in meetings. Did I mention she can cook—really, really, really well? So well you could just give her water and she'll turn it into wine? If Ben didn't know any better, he'd say Erika was out of this world. Otherworldly. She must be an alien, or a magician, or something. An angel, perhaps?

And her flaws—they only help to accentuate her good side, it's almost unfair. It's as if the universe decided to play a prank one day and brought perfection to the world, just to see how it would react. Okay, maybe that's a bit of an exaggeration but still, there's no denying that this being known as Erika is a force to be reckoned with.

And what about Ben? What exactly is Ben Tennyson the ordinary, non-transforming, teenage boy? Are there any good points to outweigh his laziness, his average intelligence, his inability to do any kind of housework correctly, his introvert personality, and his less-than-stellar build? Good looks? Please, he's a Tennyson. That's a given.

Although, there were a handful of people that noted how Ben's features were almost feminine-like. His face had a soft look to it and there wasn't the slightest hint of masculinity present. Even his stature leaned more towards that of a girl. Kevin even once stated that if Ben grew his hair out, he swore he'd "mistake him for a chick." Damn it, even the seemingly one good point turned out to be a negative. How is somewhat looking like a chick even a good thing?!

It's quite clear there wasn't any part of him that could match up to Erika, and it made him feel utterly inferior and undeserving.

"Er... I... I'm not feeling so well, Erika, so, you can just go on ahead. I'll just make sure I don't miss the second bell. You don't have to... also be late just because of me..." Right now, Ben bets he can see a picture of himself right next to 'pathetic'.

"You're always a handful, Ben-kun, but I don't really mind. Remember what I told you when we first met?"

_That sort of came from out of the blue_.

"A-anyway, if you're not feeling well, I-I guess I could..." Erika leaned forward into Ben until their foreheads pressed together, much to his surprise—and embarrassment.

"Eh? You don't seem to have a fever, Ben-kun," Erika frowned as she leaned back with a single raised brow and folded arms.

"Uhh... Must be one of those silent fever type things." _What the hell am I saying?_ "No, wait, it's definitely altitude sickness." _You've been living here for almost a year now, moron_. "Ah, wait, I'm positive it's a stomach ache!" _The last thing you ate was her cooking. Smooth_. "Actually, I think it might be cardio-pulmonary infarction!" _Now I'm just making stuff up. Kill me now_.

Erika just continued to stare at him with a perplexed look, before cracking a smile. "Ah, I think I know what's wrong," she said in a rather sing-song manner, as she placed her forefinger on Ben's forehead.

"I've got just the thing for your mystery illness. It's a surefire cure Mama taught me that she used on Papa whenever he felt too weak to get out of bed. Are you up for it, Ben-kun?" she beamed rather confidently.

"S-sure, I guess?"

"Yoshi... here goes." With her palms outstretched, she gently cupped Ben's cheeks between them. Her eyes seemed to have disappeared under the shadow of her bangs as her face grew increasingly close to his; her lips slightly opening more and more as the distance between them slowly vanished.

Ben's pupils shrunk as he realized this unexpected development—his body suddenly becoming rigid under the pressure of Erika's own weight, as well as the now heavy atmosphere surrounding them. His eyes fluttered about unfocused, refusing to look directly unto the now unnerving Erika's face.

_What the heck is she doing? Does she even know what she's doing? Wait, Erika, if you do this, we're dead. We're both dead. Me specifically. Me mostly. Actually, just me entirely. I made a promise; I can't have that broken. So, please Erika, don't do this. Even if we'd go through it, we definitely won't even reach third base. Crap, I'll die a virgin. That just plain sucks._

Ben wanted to resist, but he somehow didn't have the strength to. Again, he found himself in a position where he couldn't do anything. Deja vu. There's just no way to truly escape the past. So, this is how it'll end, huh? Ah, well, it was a good run, I guess. Hopefully, heaven also has chilli dogs. And that angels are kind to virgins...

Ben closed his eyes for the inevitable that is to come. He felt Erika's hot breaths across his face as he tried to mentally visualize just how close their faces actually were, as well as the cute face she must be making; or, perhaps, a lewd one.

Erika's lips gingerly guided through the small space left between them, as they went pass a little above Ben's own lips, and then, opening as wide as she could...

CHOMP!

"Gyaah!"

Ben's piercing scream echoed through the narrow hall of the dormitory as he felt a sharp, stinging sensation on his nose.

"E-te-teh... Okay, I'm up! I'm up! Erika, please let go now! It really hurts!"

"He he~"

* * *

"Your dad hates me, you know."

Ben can't remember how many times he's already said this up to this point – as he walked side by side with Erika en route to school – but he'd never miss an opportunity to bring it up—possibly as a reminder to himself more than anything else.

In fact, just earlier, when Ben bumped into Erika's father in the living room and greeted him with "good morning", the large, hardened man replied with a not-so-endearing:

"_I hate you. Please move out."_

No, actually, that happened almost every day.

"Well, if you didn't create such a scene this morning... Though, that was quite an impressive scream you did," Erika teasingly smiled at him, her hands tucked behind her back as she kept pace with Ben—a noticeable oomph in each step as she skipped along the sidewalk.

"That whole incident was entirely your fault, anyway..." Ben sighed as he furrowed his brows at her.

"Eto... We were both at fault, admittedly, but history is history, Ben-kun. Erika can be a klutz at times. A-are you still mad at me?" she gazed at him with pouted lips and puppy-dog eyes. No, she wasn't doing it intentionally. It just came naturally for her.

"_Too cute!"_

Ben felt his heart almost gave out. Just looking at Erika's face was dangerous; she was the 'moe' Medusa.

[Gwen's Corner: "Moe" is a Japanese slang word. It does not have a concrete definition, and its usage can vary. It can be used to describe something that is 'cute'—particularly fictional characters.]

"Y-yeah, actually I still am," Ben scratched his cheek with his finger as he tried to avoid direct eye contact; his pride and his revenge were at stake here. "To be honest, I think you actually owe me big for that little episode earlier..."

He nervously stuttered out.

"Hai!" Erika enthusiastically replied almost instantly with a raised arm; her face was as bright and cheery as ever.

Wow, that fast?!

"E-er... yeah, as long as we've both reach an agreement then..." Ben chuckled dryly, surprised at how easy it was.

Come to think of it, was there actually anything she ever said "no" to?

"Anyway, Ben-kun, I don't think you should worry that much about Papa. I mean, he already hated you from the start, right?" Despite the negative words, Erika's cheery face did not waver even slightly.

"_That's so harshly true I can't even come up with a retort..."_ Ben sulked mentally.

"But Papa's always been so grumpy and strict, so I don't think it's as bad as you make it out to be, ne?"

Her optimism was so bright, it was almost blinding.

"_Actually, you're the indirect cause of all this focused anger, but, of course, I can't tell you this. It's not really your fault, after all."_ Ben's lips slanted downwards as he mused over his very complex relationship with father and daughter.

"I think your dad has a personal outing for me seeing as Erika pays a lot of attention to me," Ben nervously laughed as he tried to get his point across while trying to be subtle.

"Eh? But isn't that only natural because I like Ben-kun a lot?" Erika blinked, looking at him with confusion.

Ben would've been very happy with a reply like that from such a cute girl—if it wasn't for the fact that it might get him killed one day.

"Ah, but I think it troubles your dad a bit. He might see it as 'special treatment' which the other (male) tenants may probably not like."

"E-eh?! Is that so? And you don't like it too, Ben-kun?!" Erika's face sunk and her eyes immediately lost their shine; her pace became more and more lethargic with each step.

"N-no, it's not that. I appreciate it that you take such good care of me. Really, I couldn't be happier. In fact, I'm probably the happiest man alive! But..."

Ben's face shifted bitterly as he tried to say aloud the thought that he despised so much.

"... Didn't your dad want you to get... well, _acquainted_ with that Richmond guy of Room 103, instead? Apparently, both his and your dad had quite the history together..."

"I'd rather die."

Erika answered back in a heartbeat, and, despite the smile she had on, her words felt as cold and sharp as a steel blade. Scary.

"U-ugh, well, I just thought that Erika would've considered... you know..." Ben stuttered, trying to salvage the situation, but was interrupted.

"... I won't let Papa choose who I should or should not have as company. The person I like, and the person I want to be with—that's Erika's decision alone. He's already decided everything else for me. I won't let him take this away from me, too."

It was one of those rare instances where Erika's face became serious. It was really a major turn-on.

"Erika..."

Erika turned to him with the smile he was already accustomed to, as she linked her arms around his and leaned her head on his shoulder.

"I want to be with Ben-kun. I choose to be with Ben-kun because he's a very kind person," she hummed as she nestled on the sleeve of Ben's shirt.

Ben wasn't really sure what to say or do. He's never seen Erika be this forward before. Normally, there was always this air of mysteriousness that surrounded the always bright and cheery girl, but, then again, there were a lot of things he still didn't know about her.

She was never the open type of person.

"Ben-kun... I want to continue to stay by your side and take care of you, so please..."

Ben looked on as Erika firmly held on to him.

"Promise to stay with me and take care of me, too."

For an instant, he remembered the one-sided pact he made with Erika's father, Osamu Misaki, one fateful night. There were no exchanges of deep or meaningful words, or trusted bonds being forged. With no choice of his own, Ben was forced to conform to these simple words of his:

"_If you ever lay a hand on my daughter, I will kill you."_

Ben felt conflicted for a moment, as he looked at Erika with a mixed expression—with Erika returning his look, her grip on him tightening, eagerly anticipating his reply as they matched strides.

Looking into that face of hers – the face he would never ever want to forget – Ben felt a greater sense of resolve. Raising his free hand, he placed it on top of Erika's chestnut hair, gently stroking it as he gave her his long overdue smile.

"Yeah, it's a promise."

* * *

_Tiiiinnnggg Tooonnnggg Tiiinnnggg . . . Tiiinnnggg Tiiinnnggg Tooonnnggg_

The school bell resounded proudly throughout every room, every corridor, every building of the vast university, signaling that it is now lunchtime.

Students flocked from every nook and cranny in disorganized fashion – some pushing, pulling, running and shouting – as each tried to hastily fight his or her way through the crowd in order to secure the most popular and best tasting meals from school vendors before they run out.

It is an everyday epic battle to satiate one's hunger. The slow and weak usually perish, and those who are strong or determined enough are rewarded with meals almost fit enough for royalty. It has somewhat become culture for this school.

... Unless, of course, you're someone lucky enough to receive delicious home-cooked meal every day, and thus, does not have to go through such hardships. Yes, those people are truly blessed.

But straying away from that subject for a moment, there is another sort of commotion happening within one of the rooms of the school itself. Class 2-A.

Whispers and gossips abound from the students still within the classroom as they glanced judgingly at the shaking, bespectacled male student standing a little too formally in front of a seated female beauty. Sweat formed on his face and his teeth clattered as he nervously faced the girl in question.

"P-please... please go out with me... M-Misaki!" he shouted a little too loudly, bowing deeply in front of her with his eyes abruptly shut.

"Eh... eh... Well..." Erika nervously laughed as she waved her hands around, trying to form words. The students all around looked the least bit surprised at the boy's exclamation, as if already expecting the outcome.

"Ah, another confession? How many does that make it this month?" said a female student to her friend as they watched from a distance.

"Honestly, you'd think they'd learn. Misaki is basically unattainable. For someone so popular, she's surprisingly anti-love. Is there even someone she's remotely interested in...?"

"You say that but..."

"Hey, hey, that's enough," called out a raven-haired girl as she approached Erika and her [failing] suitor. She was slim in stature with a rather sophisticated aura surrounding her.

"Ah, Irine-san," Erika joyfully smiled as she turned towards one of her classmates and good friend, Irine Chessler.

"Yo, Misaki," Irine greeted Erika with a grin, as she gave her a two-finger salute.

"That's right," chimed in another girl who suddenly appeared before them. This one was quite tall, with blonde hair and sharp looks.

"Hailey-san?" Erika looked on as the two girls now surrounded the hapless-looking male.

They were both known throughout the school as close friends of Erika and her self-proclaimed 'protectors'; the fearsome duo dubbed the "Misaki Shield"—Irine Chessler and Hailey Sinclair.

"Your bravery was admirable, but see here," Irine began with a smirk as she put her arm around the tense lad. "Getting this cute girl to go out with you is impossible."

"Yes, yes," Hailey nodded as she folded her arms. "Any sort of bravado you put up will end up in vain. You see the thing about Misaki is..."

She hummed as the two girls raised pointed forefingers towards Erika with as much dramatic flare as possible.

"... She's already taken!"

They both shouted in unison.

"EH?!" both the boy and the students around them chorused. The whispers have now intensified at this point. No—now everyone is just flat-out talking out loud.

"Y-you two, what are you saying all of the sudden?" Erika nervously squeaked out as her face grew evidently red.

"Yes, I'm afraid our dear Misaki, the renowned school idol, was recently swept from her feet and is now head over heels for someone!" Irine declared in front of the crowd.

"It's been speculation for some time now, but I can confidently say it is definitely true. In fact, I'm certain her Prince Charming is waiting for her at this instant somewhere in this school—just for our lovely Misaki to have lunch with him," Hailey cried out a little too ecstatically. She was known to being too into romantic things.

"Exactly, and for all of you men, that means that Misaki is officially off the market!" Irine finished with a flourish as she eyed down the audience, and, especially, the shocked teen boy.

"Nothing against you, though. I bet you're a great kid," Hailey winked at the lad who slumped his shoulders in defeat and walked away.

"Jeez, you guys..." Erika sighed as she felt a great deal of embarrassment after all that.

"So, I guess it is true..." whispered one of the people in the crowd.

"You mean that guy? I thought he was her brother."

"He's the soccer ace, right? So she's into the sporty type?"

"I don't really know much about him. He doesn't stand out that much, quite honestly."

"For such an obscure person to have taken our Misaki from us. Unforgivable!"

The crowd was now restless; even the students from the other classes who had heard and checked out the ruckus were now joining the fray. The once docile environment has now turned into a circus.

"Umuu, why did you have to do it like that? You could've handled the whole thing a bit more subtly. This will just become more trouble..." Erika pouted at her two unreliable friends, who nervously scratched the back of their heads in response.

"Heh, sorry Misaki, but we thought this was the only way to stop all those confessions. If we didn't do something, your niceness factor would kick in and you'll just cause the poor guy even more pain with your indecisiveness." Irine stuck her tongue out with her reply.

"Besides, it's true, isn't it? You're going out with him? I mean, you two have been almost always together since he came to this school, and, more importantly, Irine and I, or everyone else for that matter, don't know much about him. What's his name again? Ben, was it?" Hailey mused.

"Ah, I'm sorry. Anyway, i-it's a misunderstanding! Ben-kun and I a-a-are just friends! He doesn't see me like _that_ or anything..." Erika's voice trailed off at the last sentence.

"Eh? So it's a one-way thing, huh?" Hailey teased.

"N-no, it's not! Like I said, it's just a misunderstanding! There's absolutely nothing going on between us!" Erika exclaimed in frustration with her face beet red.

"Right, right. You're just too cute when you're angry, Misaki. We're sorry for causing you trouble, all right? Now hurry up, you don't want to keep him waiting."

"Eh?" Erika folded the sleeve of her left arm as she looked at her watch. Twelve-fourty-eight. "Uwaa! I still haven't given Ben-kun his lunch, yet! Ah... Ah... I'll be leaving now!" Erika abruptly stood up and gave a light bow to her two friends before swiftly making her way out of the classroom.

"So... she makes his lunch, too?" Irine turned to Hailey with a smile.

"I hear he calls her by her first name," Hailey replied, looking just as surprised.

"No way! Misaki never lets anyone do that. He must be something, eh? We should really get to know him sometimes."

"Yeah... That reminds me—you still owe me lunch from before."

"Ah, darnit."

* * *

"You sure took quite some time. Did you have your hands full with something? If that's the case, I'm sorry for making you hurry," Ben said with an apologetic look, as he took in a spoonful of his bento lunch.

Right now, the two of them were having lunch on top of the university's main building. It's a rather refreshing place to be with a great view of the entire mountainside. Not too many students venture here because of the altitude and temperature, and, thus, it makes for a perfect place to enjoy doing things in peace.

And Ben was especially known to sometimes fall asleep here during breaks, and, in the process, unintentionally miss some of his classes. Of course, once Erika knew about it, he never got the chance to again—much to his dismay. So the only other way to keep enjoying this secluded place was to invite her as well. It would soon become their 'secret spot'.

"Ah, iie, that's not it. Some stuff just happened and it got a bit out of hand. It's no biggie," Erika nervously laughed as she ate her lunch a bit too unnaturally— her movements were stiff; almost mechanical.

"Another confession, eh?" Ben smiled as he turned to look at the clouds.

"Uwaa... H-how did you know?" Erika blushed with her voice all panicky and her arms flailing around.

"Erika is so popular after all, it's not a surprise. And, yet, the school idol is here with me. What did I do to deserve such a treat?"

"Eh, d-don't say such embarrassing things, Ben-kun! I-I'm not that great, you know..." she mumbled the last part.

"Ooh, as usual, Erika's home-cooked lunch is great!" Ben exclaimed, as he took in another mouthful happily.

Today's menu consisted of breaded pork cutlets with sweet-and-sour sauce, steamed cherry tomato salad, baked sweet potatoes cubes, and spring onion and egg-topped fried rice. The Erika Special.

Erika smiled at those words. Somehow, being praised by Ben gave her a warm feeling inside.

Fiddling her fingers, she shot glances at Ben enjoying his lunch. The way he looked while eating it was very funny. There were even a few rice grains stuck at the corner of his mouth. He looked so lively and cool, somehow. Maybe that's why she liked having his company so much.

"... Er, Ben-kun... Did you worry about me?" she suddenly asked from out of the blue.

"Hmm?" Ben turned to her with a perplexed look.

"_Actually, right now, I'm more worried about myself since half the school's male population are eager to have my head on a silver plate_,_ I bet,_" Ben thought to himself mentally with a dry smile.

"Well, I know how reliable Erika is so I didn't have to worry too much," was what he said instead.

"I-I see..." came Erika's rather weak response.

"Erika... Is something wrong?"

Erika just stared at the bento lunch on her lap with downcast eyes, her hands balling up as they sat atop her knees.

"... Ben-kun, how would you feel if someone confessed to me? A-and maybe, if I gave it some actual thought...?"

"_Eh?"_

That was a rather surprising question. Ben actually almost choked on his food upon hearing it, but, luckily, he managed to cough one or two times. But that pales to the bigger issue here—did someone confess to Erika... and she's actually considering it?! Who's the cheeky bastard?!

"W-well, I'd be lonely if Erika wasn't here. I'd be happy for Erika, but I'd say I'll also be jealous because that would mean Erika will be with someone else," Ben answered, nervously scratching his cheek with his finger.

"Honto ni? You really mean it?" Erika's face lit up as she leaned towards Ben with a curious look.

"Well, yeah, I'd be sad about it. I mean, Erika's precious to me, so... A-anyway, is that something you should necessarily be smiling about it?"

"... Ah, iie, I'm just really glad, after all. And you don't have to worry about that sort of thing happening Ben-kun," Erika beamed as she suddenly nudged closer to Ben and leaned her head on his shoulder.

"E-Erika?"

Ben couldn't help but smile upon seeing the cute face she was making. But really now, why does she have to tease him with these things?

[Gwen's Corner: Ben is _incredibly_ dense.]

"_I'm glad it was just hypothetical, though."_

"Oh, by the way," Ben suddenly said. "I almost forgot—I'll be, umm... going home this summer break."

...

"Eh?!"

* * *

Gwen: Now that ends Chapter Three! It's a shame I couldn't be in it. By the way, to see how Mr. BG envisioned how I look like in this fic, please visit the deviantart link in his profile. You'll find sketches of not only me and Erika, but loads of other Ben 10 sketches as well!

Erika: Ehh, you look so adorable in them, Gwen-san! Kawaii!

Gwen: Mufufu! You're not so bad looking yourself! But still, apparently, you are my rival in love so don't think I'll be getting all friendly. All's fair in love and war. Banzai!

Erika: Er... ah, I look forward to it, I guess? *confused*

Ben: Seriously, how did it end up like this?

Gwen: I decree whoever takes off Ben's pants first gets to have him be her slave for a week!

Erika: Eh?! That is... that's a little bit... b-but I'll do it! *blush*

Ben: Y-you two, quit screwing around!

Gwen: You don't have a say in this since you broke a cute girl's promise on the same day you made it! Really now.

Erika: Uwaa... Ben-kun, d-did you really?! *teary-eyed*

Ben: I-I can't help it! I still have to go home once in a while, you know!


	4. Continuation

Mr BG: Unrelated note, it seems 'Moving In' is proving to be popular. I didn't think I put too much substance in those two chapters for readers to want me to continue it so badly. *confused*

Ben: I guess they see potential in it? Maybe? Knowing you, you'll probably update it sometime (year?) from now, eh?

Mr. BG: Pretty much. Fan service and such. But Changes is still my main priority. I now heart anime style writing. Gwen, would you kindly do the honors while I suddenly disappear? *Whoosh*

Gwen: What? *Turn turn* He's actually gone. W-well, this is Changes Chapter 4. Glad to be back into the fray. *smile*

Ben: You seem awfully... mild. Are you okay?

Gwen: I-I do? Well... I guess so. Erm... *blush*

Ben: Are you sure you're not doing this on purpose just to mess with me?

Gwen: Uwaa... H-how could you say that? I-I-I'm just... I, er... Ben, y-you meanie! *runs away crying*

Ben: Gwen, wait! Now I'm more confused than ever!

* * *

**Chapter Four: Continuation**

_My name's Ben Tennyson. I'm a soccer ace, an ex-Plumber, a college student on summer break, and, right now, I'm..._

Cold. So very cold...

The chilling air blowing from a nearby fan dug deeply into exposed flesh. It elicited an uncomfortable shiver from the recipient. The sensation was anything but refreshing—especially this early. It _is_ still very early, isn't it? What time is it, anyway? Huh? Eight-o-five? That can't be right. It feels like Christmas in here. But in the middle of summer? No way. The damn clock must be broken.

The only other time it ever got this cold at this hour was when...

Ben groggily sat up and separated the silk curtains that covered the RV's back window, only to be greeted with the sight of a gloomy shot of nature—dull vegetation that swayed slightly with the morning breeze; small birds chirping and fluttering about in search of food; grey clouds that gave a sort of ominous feel as they blanketed the open sky; a patched, concrete road that was barren and—no, wait, that's not nature. Regardless, not a sliver of sunlight was to be seen. It was almost reminiscent of...

But Ben couldn't be bothered with such minor stuff. It was morning and he had just woken up. To stress about the details of 'where' and 'why' now would just be a needless waste of energy. Besides, he had other things to worry about. Speaking of which, where is that _other_ right now?

It's strange. His unwanted, personal alarm 'clock' has not attempted to wake him up in the manner he, unfortunately, was now accustomed to. And yes, if you've caught on, that clock is anything but a clock—rather, instead, is in the form of a cute redheaded girl with excessive perverted tendencies. Also, she happens to be his cousin. And no, you did not misread that. What luck, huh?

Ben quickly lifted the covers of his bunk bed just to make sure. Empty. Breathing a sigh of relief, he scanned his immediate surroundings just to confirm his suspicion. Not a flash of scarlet in sight. He warily checked the top bunk for any sort of movement, or anything that would resemble a human being at all. But no, the covers have already been lifted, the bed hastily made. The pillow seemed to still have retained the shape of her head. It looked somewhat fresh—in fact, it even has her scent still on it. Strawberries.

Okay, that was a little bit creepy. Move away from the bunk now.

Maybe this was a positive development, though. Maybe Gwen had decided to drop her current personality altogether, and reverted back to her former self. Ah, but that's just wishful thinking. There's no guarantee of that so investing on such tiny hope would just be more of a letdown. In any case, she's actually not so bad once...

No, hold up. Back away from that train of thought. Is he actually getting used to this? Too used? No, that would be bad. More than bad, it'd be a disaster. There are so many things wrong with this on so many levels, so to even begin to enjoy this—wait, did he just say "enjoy"? Argh, Gwen's influence must've screwed up his brain too or something. Must not lose focus.

Rubbing his head in mild frustration, he decided to first address his more basic needs before even trying to understand everything else. With a big yawn, Ben made his way towards the bathroom door and twisted on the doorknob. It resisted somewhat, but that's to be expected; it's been broke since the first ever summer trip, after all. Why Grandpa never bothered to fix it was beyond him. Using both hands now, he jerked the handle with a bit more force until he heard an audible click.

Smiling to himself, he swung the door open as he hummed a little tune to himself. However, the moment he had done so, he heard a small gasp...

To his surprise – and horror – in front of him was his cousin, Gwen, sitting on the toilet, staring wide-eyed at him with an indescribable face. Her cheeks—no, her entire face was so red it almost seemed as though steam was coming out of her ears. She was wearing a loose, white, buttoned shirt (this time hers) that covered only up to a small fraction of her upper thighs and she was pretty much bare from that point down—her smooth, white legs gleaming and... white panties loosely clinging to her ankles.

"Ahh... ahh..." Ben stuttered as he froze in place with his face extremely flustered, unable to tear his eyes away from such a sight. Something that only normally takes place in books, mangas, and television shows is now actually happening to him in real life. How? Why?!

"Gwen... I... uh... uh..."

Gwen's eyes started to soften as she looked like she was about to cry. Inhaling deep, she then proceeded to open her mouth wide and gave an almighty...

"Kyaahhh!"

Somewhere, there definitely was the sound of glass breaking.

"Uwaa!" Ben cried out in panic as he scrambled for the door. "I-I'm sorry! I'm very sorry!" he exclaimed like mad as he felt a burst of charged mana hitting him squarely in the rear, sending him flying and crashing towards the refrigerator.

THUD!

Ben felt the cool, white, polished surface rubbing against his face with a squeak as he slowly fell to the ground, his backside emanating a trail of smoke as he lay on the floor groaning in pain.

"_Urgh... That scenario was so absurd, I feel like I just made a dozen animated comedies proud."_

"... Ahem," piped out a timid voice from behind. Ben promptly spun his entire body, his back leaning against the refrigerator as he awkwardly sat on the floor. In front of him was Gwen's slightly concealed face and a bit of her shoulder sticking out from behind the bathroom door, as she glared at him with quivering lips and a deep red face.

"D-did you see?" she asked hesitantly, struggling somewhat with her words. Her eyes kept wildly switching between Ben's face and the floor in front of them.

"N-no, I swear, I didn't! A-at least not intentionally!" Ben yelled out, waving his hands frantically in front of him.

For some reason, Gwen's face seemed even angrier.

"I-idiot..." she mumbled with puffed cheeks before slamming the door shut.

Click.

... I fear things might have just turned for the worst.

* * *

"H-hey, Gwen." Ben nervously waved a hand as he approached his cousin who was sitting at one end of the table. Beforehand, her eyes had been transfixed on some passing trees, as she somewhat angrily stared out the window with her chin rested on her palm.

Upon seeing Ben, she immediately pouted and turned her head away with an "Hmph".

Truth be told, she did look quite adorable with the face she currently had on.

"Haa... I guess you're still mad at me, then..." Ben sighed as he made his way towards Gwen, who instantly reacted by sliding away from him until she was practically leaning against the window, all the while glaring at him with eyes that undeniably screamed, "Trespassers will be shot".

"_Yeah, you're definitely mad..."_

Instead of risking provoking Gwen again, Ben made the smart decision to instead head up front to sit right next to Grandpa Max, who had been silently driving and listening to the stereo, which was playing a song that probably dated back to the Cretaceous Period.

"Something wrong, kiddo?" Max asked, turning down the volume when he saw the look on Ben's face.

"Ah, I did something that ticked off Gwen... and now I'm trying to figure out how to avoid a bloodbath."

"Well, that's a darn shame. Just as you two were starting to get along again." Max shook his head.

"_I'm having doubts to what your definition of 'getting along' is..."_

"In any case, you know what you gotta do, Ben. Nothing's scarier than a woman's scorn after all—especially one that's part energy being. I hate to be in your shoes, quite honestly." Max faked a shiver as he looked at Ben with a smile.

"Gee, thanks," came Ben's sarcastic reply to which Max only laughed.

"Better hurry. It'd be bad if Gwen stayed this way when we get there."

"Get where?"

"You'll see. It won't be long. But it won't mean anything if you two continue this little lover's quarrel. Now go on, play peacemaker."

"'Lover's quarrel?'" Ben raised an annoyed eyebrow at the old man.

"I'm just pulling your leg, son. Let me have some fun once in a while," he replied with a laugh.

"Seriously, Grandpa..." Ben sighed as he stood up.

"_But truth be told, I'd rather have a troublesome Gwen than a pissed off one."_

If things will turn out like last time, Ben had to absolutely make sure it wouldn't. He just can't face that situation again, not after making so much progress— if you call their current relationship 'progress' that is. But anything is better than being ignored; being hated by Gwen. Going through all that again... no, he refuses to. His heart wouldn't be able to handle it a second time.

He balled up his hands as he made his way towards his cousin, who again had her attention to whatever was outside the window. Tiny raindrops, Ben had just now notice. It was starting to rain. Was this a sign of things to come?

Deciding it would be better to not suddenly surprise Gwen, Ben took a seat across from her. The moment Gwen's eyes caught Ben's own, she immediately shifted her face away. Wonderful.

"Er... Gwen?" Ben then started, trying his best to put up a smile. Expectedly, she chose to ignore him, but the slight shrug of her shoulders was encouraging.

"Listen... I'm sorry for what happened earlier. I should've knocked, I know. It wasn't on purpose or anything." But to think something crazy like that would happen. Ben almost feels like a main character of some insane story or something.

Still, Gwen remained silent, not even paying attention to him—or at least, pretending not to.

"C'mon, Gwen, say something or, at the very least, look at me."

As though fulfilling his request, Gwen turned to him, her chin still resting on her palm. She had an emotionless face on it was hard to tell what she was thinking.

"Go die."

She simply said before shifting her focus outside again.

"Ha ha..." Ben stupidly faked a laugh as he scratched his cheek with his finger.

Well, this is going splendidly. Apparently, subtlety just isn't gonna cut it. Time to pull off all the stops then; might as well risk it at this point.

Ben took a deep breath as he sat much more erect. After clearing his throat, his face then abruptly took on a dramatic change—straight-laced and striking; impossibly charming.

"... Gwen, please don't be mad anymore. You're so much cuter when you're smiling, after all."

Upon hearing this Gwen's eyes immediately grew wide. She quickly spun her head, and after seeing the look Ben had on along with those surprising words, her eyebrows furrowed, lips trembled, and her face turned a shade of pink.

"N-no fair. If you suddenly say stuff like that... I-I'm trying to be mad, you know..." she whimpered.

Success.

"There, you see? Even with just a tiny smile, you're becoming so much cuter already."

He wasn't lying. She actually was.

"That was a cheap trick, Ben..." she protested, her eyes a bit watery. Was she crying because of the compliment or because she lost so badly?

"But I am telling the truth. You've got one ridiculously cute smile. I mean, you're already quite the looker as it is, but—"

"... P-please, no more. I feel like my head might explode." Gwen had both hands covering her face as she shook her head wildly from side to side. With her face all red like that, Ben wouldn't be surprised if it actually did.

"Okay, okay, I'll stop." Ben laughed. "Forgive me then?"

Now calming down, Gwen placed both her hands under the table. Thinking for a moment, she turned to look at the ceiling before facing Ben again with a smile on her face.

"It would be impossible not to. B-but if the stuff you said were all just sweet nothings..." she murmured, fiddling with her forefingers underneath the table.

"... Then you have my permission for one free shot to the face. _Fists_ only," Ben smirked.

"Energy fists?" Gwen suggested, happily raising a glowing pink hand.

"_Normal_ fists..." he replied deadpan.

Gwen simply nodded with a smile. Indeed, she did look much better that way.

Come to think of it, Gwen seemed different right now than in the past three days. Ben didn't expect her to get all embarrassed about being somewhat exposed when she was being more than daring prior to the incident this morning. Was her previous behavior then just for show? Was the Gwen now in front of him the real one? The quiet, reserved type?

But this Gwen is still hardly the one he knew from years back. The Gwen that was sarcastic, a little bit proud, calculating and organized. Someone who didn't hesitate to correct you, but at the same time was supportive and caring if need be. The level-headed one of the group; logical although lacking common sense—the latter you'd hardly believe, but that's Gwen, surprisingly.

But that's a story for another time. Now, the focus is solely on Gwen's current behavior—easily embarrassed, much more reserved, soft-spoken, and fragile; completely the opposite of how she was when this summer trip began. Just when Ben thought he had her understood, she manages to completely baffle him again.

Masterful acting? Multiple personalities? A harmless prank or a ploy for revenge? Is this an Anodite thing? A woman thing? Maybe a Gwen thing? There's no telling for sure so Ben has to play his cards right. And that would mean going along with it. No, no, on second thought, the direct method is always best. It's time to be on the offensive for once.

With a hidden smirk that almost bordered sinister, Ben gazed at her with sharp eyes. Years of Plumber training has provided Ben with the ability to read subtle body movements—little hints that the body gave out with each action. From there, he could make an intelligent guess to what the person was actually thinking about. It's sort of like a crude form of a lie detector. Although, most of the time it's not really very dependable – thus why, he barely bothers using it – but, hey, it's worth a shot.

Now all he needs is to bait her in.

"Ben? You're kinda looking at me funny..." Gwen spoke nervously, turning away from Ben's face and instinctively covering her chest with her arms for some reason.

Oh, she was good. It certainly felt genuine.

"Sorry, it's nothing. I was just thinking after all—wouldn't it be appropriate that after we made up, a kiss would then follow?"

Ben noticed Gwen's cheeks starting to get hot. On this day, she had been every shade of red and pink imaginable. And her body acted accordingly; from the rate of her breathing, to the slight twitching of her eyes and lips, down to the sudden restlessness.

And now, based on her reaction, he only had to wait for the expected outcome to either be: Her going into an angry outburst or agreeing wholeheartedly. This time, he was absolutely confident in his ability.

"R-really? But right now...? T-that's so bold of you, Ben... Ah... umm... And Grandpa is..."

What the hell? When did she suddenly become like some innocent middle school girl? And looking all embarrassed like that with her hands on her mouth like she just received a confession or something; right now, Gwen can certainly compete for an Emmy.

"Don't tell me you're getting all shy now after all the times you've (forcibly) kissed me?" Where did all the passion go? The fire in her eyes? It's supposed to just be A or B. And now she effortlessly added a C? She's neither old Gwen nor annoying Gwen, anymore. And worst, she's actually convincing.

"That is... I don't think I... B-but I want to if you do..."

Gah, this is going nowhere. She's just becoming both a pain and somewhat adorable. Painfully adorable? Adorably painful? If only Ben wasn't so vulnerable to cute, shy girls, he wouldn't get awestruck so easily—then disecting her would've been a cinch.

In the meantime, it'd probably be best if he'd just forget the plan and... try to understand this whole new Gwen. Curse his zero resistance to moe.

"You know what, its fine if we just forget the kiss. Asking for something like that out of nowhere, it's not nice to suddenly put my lovely cousin on the spot."

Smooth talk, like in all those dating advice books he read.

"I-I guess..." came her simple shy answer.

Okay, okay, new topic. Talk about something else—anything. And then just go with the flow. Observe her. Study her. Gauge her. Right now, he probably sounds like the worst pervert on Earth. B-but this is just research! He needs to know more about this brand new, cute Gwen, so it's totally legit!

"Er... uh... So, umm... Well..."

Focus. There's gotta be something he can nitpick about Gwen; anything new about her today aside from what he already knows. Think... think... wait, got it.

"So... I've noticed you're not wearing your headphones today. Something happen to it?"

That's right; Ben was too caught up on Gwen's bizarre behavior from the start that he failed to notice the new look she had going on. Aside from her preference to wear shoulder-less, long-sleeved sweaters for most of the trip, she also had on a pair of large, white headphones on her head virtually all of the time—minus today that is. Whether they were some sort of fashion accessory or Gwen has now begun to appreciate music, Ben couldn't tell.

They looked badass, though, that he was sure of.

"They weren't very comfortable to wear for too long. I need to give my ears a break sometimes..."

That was actually a very valid point.

"I-I see," Ben replied with a dry laugh.

Okay, he's officially run out of topics to use. What now? The rain has already stopped a while ago so that's a no-go. Glance at each other in silence? Well, he certainly has no problem with that the way Gwen is now. But... that would be awkward. Moe Gwen is still Gwen, after all.

"Um... I... Do you...? Err..."

"Kids, we're here!" the two then heard their Grandpa Max suddenly call out as they felt the RV come to a screeching halt.

Yes, perfect timing. Thank you, Grandpa!

"Well...?"

Ben said as he stood up and extended his hand at Gwen, who seemed somewhat confused at the gesture.

Ah, right, the common sense thing.

"Shall we, Gwen?" he clarified as he smiled at her with his hand still extended.

Now finally getting what Ben was implying, Gwen returned his smile two-fold as she took his hand into hers, her face beaming with childish delight.

"Hurry up, kids! I want the both of you to get a load of this!" Max shouted a little bit too impatiently from outside.

"Jeez, Grandpa, and I thought we were supposed to be the ones excit—whoa!"

"Whoa." Gwen echoed Ben's reaction as soon as the both of them stepped out of the RV, only to be met with the sight of what could definitely only be described as 'whoa'.

In front of them was an enormous building – about forty to fifty stories tall, maybe even more – standing proudly like it was the Eighth Wonder of the World. It looked absolutely amazing; a mixture of both modern and classical in design, with roman pillars standing erect, transparent capsule elevators at every junction moving up and down, large tainted glass windows that reflected brilliantly. Even the way the building was built—cutting edge but with an oriental feel to it. And it was almost as wide as a shopping mall!

"Just... what is this, Grandpa? Gwen, you seeing this?" Ben turned to Gwen with a surreal expression, still finding it hard to believe something this awesome actually existed in this world.

"Hmm, hmm," Gwen nodded as she continued to stare at the building in awe. Without realizing it, her hand gripped down on Ben's own even tighter.

"I can see you two are quite impressed. This here building in front of you is truly a marvel in engineering. It belongs to a good friend of mine from back in the day, and he's been trying to convince me nonstop to come by for years now. Well, looks like he finally got his wish—by three times as much." Max smiled at his grandchildren as he gave a long whistle, he himself actually admiring the gargantuan, luxurious structure in front of him.

"Y-you mean...?" Gwen couldn't even finish as the mere thought alone left her at a loss for words.

"Yep, just what you think. This time I left no stones unturned to guarantee that the both of you will have the greatest summer experience of your life. And I hear this place has _everything_ if you catch my drift," Max then winked at Ben who... actually... didn't catch his drift.

"T-this whole place for an entire summer?! Looking at it, just one day alone will set you back an entire life savings so how—?"

"Trade secrets, Ben. Never question what your 'ol Grandpa can do," the husky man started to boast.

"That can either mean he once saved the man... or he's blackmailing him," Ben whispered to Gwen who stifled a laugh in response.

"Welcome... Mister Tennyson, I presume?" A female voice suddenly said as she stepped out from the building's main entrance and bowed lightly at the three of them. She had the look of a typical youth – her face lively and beautiful – and she was dressed in a stylish maid outfit. Her hair was long and light blue for some reason (a current trend, perhaps?) and she had clear, rectangular glasses on. She was average in height with terrific body proportions. Her voice was soft and calm, harmonious in sound, like an angel's harp.

"Yeah, that's me, alright. Oh, and these are my grandkids." Max said as he extended his arms towards Ben and Gwen's direction. As he did so, Gwen, for some reason, seemed as though she were intimidated, quickly hid behind Ben.

"Gwen, is something wrong?" Ben asked.

Gwen simply shook her head vigorously in response as she clung to his sleeve. Ben and Max exchanged confused glances as they shrugged their shoulders. The maid couldn't help but giggle at the amusing sight.

"Master has been expecting you three. He'll be quite pleased to see such interesting guests. Ara, where are my manners? Pleased to make your acquaintance. My name is Inaba Natsumi, a maid here in this wonderful place you are currently witnessing. I hope to be of service to you and that we'll get along splendidly."

She smiled a very captivating smile. Who knew a maid could be this cute? Her looks alone can easily be mistaken for a model.

"Speaking of which, where is 'here'?" Ben inquired as his eyes wandered about, all the while gently stroking the hair of a firmly latched on Gwen, somewhat calming her down.

"Oh, your grandfather didn't tell you? Aha, surprises are so much more fun, I guess. Right now, you're seeing what Master likes to call "Paradise on Earth", the ultra rare six-star hotel and recreational center, which was built in the middle of what is dubbed the "Garden of Eden"..."

With her one hand elegantly extended towards the three and her other one towards the very large building in front of them, she then declared in her most grandiose voice:

"... I welcome you all to Misaki Tower!"

* * *

Ben: Inaba, if you don't mind me asking, how old are you exactly?

Inaba: Ah, that's a secret, Master. Ara ara, why is Master curious all of the sudden?

Ben: N-nothing, really. You just look great for a maid, is all. And could you please not call me "Master"?

Inaba: He he, Master is quite the flirt, but also very modest. I like you a lot already, Master! I'll gladly obey any command!

Ben: Please cut that out...

Gwen: Uwaa... Ben...? *teary-eyed*

Ben: N-no, Gwen, you're getting the wrong idea! I was just asking her a question.

Inaba: Ah, I apologize, Mistress. I've seemed to have caused you displeasure. I've no intention of taking your fiancé away from you, okay? *lovingly rubs Gwen's head*

Ben: Now you're the one getting the wrong idea!

Gwen: *Rub rub* Unyuu~


	5. Conflagration

Ben: You know, I've noticed in every chapter after the first, it always starts with me doing a brief introduction of myself, after which I'm forced to wake up due to some sort of circumstance. What is up with that?

Gwen: Hmm, I think they call that a 'running gag'. It's quite popular in comedies, I guess.

Ben: Still, can't we do something else for a change? Besides, Mr. BG clearly copied the intro from "Kore wa Z—"

Gwen: Hush! BG's just doing reference! Right, BG? Right?!

Ben: Honestly, can't he think of his own shtick? Well, at least the readers didn't catch on.

Gwen: ... Unless a certain blabbermouth cutie accidentally told them... *staaaare*

Ben: Ah..! I messed up! BG's so gonna... A-and you're still flirting at a time like this?!

Gwen: Nyaah~ *adorable face*

Ben: ... I see you're back to your _un_usual self...

Gwen: I-in any case, chapter 5 is here! Expect more chaos, and of course, please support my route. As the only non-OC female character in this story, I definitely must not lose! Gwen would like your support, 'kay? *flower garden background*

Ben: Idiot, don't try to sweet talk the readers by acting cute. If you want to win, do so with your own natural charm.

Gwen: Eh, so you admit I have a shot at you, after all?!

Ben: ... N-no! I was just trying to be helpful! A-anyway, don't tell me we're still gonna do that stupid gag? *changing topic*

Gwen: *Nod nod*

Ben: Sigh...

* * *

**Chapter Five: Conflagration**

_My name's Ben Tennyson. I'm a former hero, a soccer ace, a guest in a luxurious six-star hotel, and... Well... yeah..._

Neon blue. Most parts of the large room were illuminated by the faint glow of neon blue. The transparent, blue, silk curtains that filtered the moonlight that passed through were deemed the cause. It did well to offset the darkness that would've perhaps made waking up in the middle of the night dreary. The curtains were wide; of course, they had to be—the sliding glass door they covered took up an entire wall, after all. Outside, the soothing sound of crashing waves could be heard.

The breeze would undoubtedly be refreshing at this time, permitted you can actually enjoy it. But common sense dictates you should lock up at night, even when you're in a six-star hotel—no, _especially_ when you're in a six-star hotel. Instead, the artificial cold from the humming air conditioner will have to do.

Every single moment of the entire trip, it's been one shocking surprise after another. From a personality-switching cousin – logical to crazy to shy – to an unprecedented royal carpet treatment to paradise at virtually no cost. A rocky start now turned into a total dream vacation. It this perhaps karma for all those years of good deeds? Or maybe an apology for the last three-and-a-half years of solitary torture? Either way, right now, it's more than enough as compensation. Especially, with a certain Japanese angel bundled in with the package. Yep, it's _a lot_ more than enough.

Now, the big question: Why exactly did Ben abruptly wake up this late at night? His inner thought tells him it's probably roughly one a.m. or so, and he's not exactly someone who just wakes up at random. Far from it, he's more of the type that sleeps in till noon unless he absolutely has to wake up, or if someone or something forces him to. Which could only mean...

_Rustle, rustle..._

Ben could feel some slight movement from beneath his sheets. When the three of them checked in earlier, Grandpa Max was given three separate, lavish rooms by the manager—one for each of them. Apparently, his 'old friend' was an overgenerous man who was indebted to him for some reason. But strangely, Max only took _two_. And even stranger, he made both Ben and Gwen _share_ a room. Just what the hell was he thinking? With Gwen the way she is now, this was the last thing that should be happening. Was he trying to make Ben keep an eye out for her or something? Regardless of how she is, she can quite fend for herself. This was a horrible decision.

And, of course, upon hearing this turn of events, Gwen was unsurprisingly more than ecstatic. Even though she was shy Gwen then, but still, it was fairly evident. Her blissful, adorable face shone like that of a satisfied kitten. If only she stayed like that forever...

Ah, no, that would be no good, after all. There were still a lot of issues that needed to be resolved.

In any case, just for the heck of it, Ben turned his head to his farthest left. The room had two separate beds – at Ben's insistence – rather than a single, large one, so there was the extremely slim chance that the other bed would also be occupied. It wasn't. Of course.

Sighing at himself at the obvious end result, he peeled back the sheets of his own bed, only to find an innocent-looking Gwen comfortably snuggled up to his chest and fast asleep. She was wearing one of his long-sleeved shirts, as was second nature by now, and her long, slender, white legs were wrapped around his own. Her scarlet hair was sprawled all over and her delicate face was slightly flushed. She made cute little noises as she breathed in and out, and her exposed skin gleamed under the moonlight.

Right now, she looked absolutely stunning as she slept. She gave off an otherworldly glow, like a moon goddess. Ben felt like he could keep on watching her till daybreak.

Ah, but reason would start kicking in and he'd have to push her away before things started to get out of hand. This time he had to be the rational one, after all, if he wished to have any sort of relationship with Gwen. It's a tough wire act, considering he doesn't want to hurt her – or himself – in the process.

"Gwen?" he called out softly as he brushed a hand against her face. She was sleeping so soundly, it was quite a shame to have her wake up. It was just half the battle if she did, though.

"Gwen, c'mon, you have to get back to your own bed," he whispered to her, nudging her slightly as he did. She groaned a few times before unconsciously wrapping her arms around his neck. He swore he heard her mew a little as she did.

"Aww, jeez..." Ben groaned as the situation got even more complex— and the wonderful (?) sensation of her soft chest pressing against his own only made matters worse. His two raised hands shook and his fingers twitched, as they cupped the air in front of them. Right now, the fight to resist the surging influx of testosterone was overwhelming, as the word 'morality' rang relentlessly in his mind. But the definition of morality was beginning to wear thin.

Even as he exerted more force into pushing Gwen, she wouldn't budge an inch. Even in her sleep, that girl is surprisingly strong—and clingy. And somehow, he didn't feel like shoving the current her out of bed like he had done so before. Her annoyance factor was bearable this time.

But still, he had to get her out of his bed and back to her own. And her boa constrictor-like grip on him made that all but impossible. Now is definitely a good time to have a Fourarms or a Humongosaur within arm's since that clearly isn't an available option, does this mean he'll have to allow it this time? I mean, she _is_ completely harmless in her current state of mind. One night of Gwen having her way for once couldn't possibly hurt, right?

_No_. Somehow, that's never going to work.

If he'll let the little things slide, pretty soon it'll all blow up right in his face—like a Gwen snowball charging down a steep mountain slope.

"If I use her hips as leverage, maybe I can…" Ben contemplated as he slid both hands just well above her thighs.

_Plomp._

The soft, wondrous feeling quickly registered in his mind. His hands sunk a little as he firmly grabbed hold of what could possibly be the second greatest thing he has ever felt in his entire life.

"T-this is…" Ben winced as he instinctively groped and squeezed the plump, white skin, trying to confirm that, in fact, he was holding what he thinks he was holding. His pupils shrunk and his face grew pale.

Confirmed.

"… No panties…" he murmured to himself in stunned realization. So what he was feeling right now was genuinely the real deal—without any sort of clothing in the way. A girl's exposed… Dammit hands, why won't you let go?!

And as if to spite himself, and to dig his own grave further, his two hands, on their own whim gave another firm, generous squeeze to the fleshy mounds.

"Ahh~"

Ben heard a passionate low moan fill the air.

"… _I'm dead! She's gonna kill me!" _

He screamed mentally.

The incredible amount of dread he was now feeling was enough to unglue his hands from their daring venture as he quickly shielded his face from a possible retaliation. Yet, after a few seconds had passed and as he slowly opened his eyes, what awaited him instead was the not-at-all-intimidating sight of a slumbering Gwen, as the girl let go of her death grip on him and rolled on her back.

"Thank God," he sighed to himself in relief.

"Kyuu…"

Came another low, non-menacing sound, as Gwen shifted again, her face reared up as they came within inches of Ben's own. His eyes widened as he felt the tip of their noses slightly brushing against each other; Gwen's hot breaths mixed in with the cold air around them gently glided past his flustered cheeks.

But there was something else that caught Ben's attention, though. He stared intently at Gwen's lips as they glimmered a little too temptingly. Since when did he become overly conscious with her lips? But they looked so soft, rosy, shiny, and… vulnerable. Sure, Gwen has forcibly kissed him a few times before, but in those instances, Ben was both struggling and panicking too much to take notice any sort of sensation and, right now, he was somewhat curious as to what they might actually taste like.

Not that he hasn't kissed a girl before, mind you—there was that one time in middle school… although…

Ben lightly shook his head as he recalled that rather unpleasant experience—he'd rather like to forget about it completely.

And here right now was the perfect opportunity to right the wrongs of his childhood trauma. He was sure Gwen wouldn't mind. Rather, she would approve of him making such a bold move. This would also make somewhat for some great payback while he's at it; for always messing with his head.

Also, he had to admit, Gwen had the most perfect set of lush, rosy lips he had ever seen. In fact, it was arguably her most defining trait. And it complimented her long, scarlet hair extremely well. No wonder in high school she was dubbed 'The Crimson Beauty'.

Ben gulped as he leaned in closer to her, his mouth slightly opening and closing as he took in tiny pockets of air in nervous anticipation. Sweat trickled down from his forehead despite the coldness of the room and his face felt like it was burning up. Just the mere thought of taking an innocently-sleeping girl's lips made him hot with exhilaration. Or perhaps was it because he was too close to an energy being?

Regardless, his lips were so very close to hers. Like two magnets, he felt the powerful attraction drawing him—guiding him in. There was no doubting Gwen's lips had such an effect. Truly, her moniker was well-earned.

Ben closed his eyes as he felt the slightest bit of contact being made. The microscopic tips of their lips were practically touching when a white light suddenly hit Ben like an eighteen-wheeler truck.

He quickly withdrew, panting uncontrollably as he tried to regain composure.

"_What the hell am I doing? I think I just lost my mind back there…"_ he groaned.

Gwen's crazy has clearly taken quite a toll on him. There's plenty enough of it to go around, after all. And to think he had almost kissed her—his cousin of all people! Sure, she may be a very attractive woman, but there are just some lines that aren't meant to be crossed. Why couldn't his _only_ childhood friend been non-blood-related instead?

"I guess that was my fault back there… I almost lost control over a stupid kiss…"

"Kuuu…"

"Hmm?"

Ben turned to Gwen in confusion after hearing her make another low, cute sound. He knitted his brows and observed her closely, fearing she might have noticed his earlier misguided attempt at sexual harassment.

"_Don't tell me she knew…?"_ Ben shuddered as he noticed Gwen's face twitch and her mouth shaping into a frown.

"Err… Gwen?"

"Kyuu… umuu…" she moaned softly as her mouth shook; her eyes were still shut tight. Was she having a nightmare?

"Gwen…?" Ben leaned in further looking more anxious. Did Gwen just break?

"… Ben~"

"… Huh?"

Without warning, Gwen quickly lunged forward, crashing her lips into his with fierce recklessness, her arms wrapping tightly around his neck at the same time.

"_W-what the hell?!"_ Ben screamed in his mind as his eyes widened at the surprise attack. She was kissing him with such unrestrained passion and yet, it felt different from all those other times; very unnatural, actually. Her actions were sluggish and her eyes were still closed. Wait, don't tell me…

Sleep kissing?!

"Mmm…" Ben heard Gwen moan under her breath despite her lips still firmly planted to his. Dammit, she _is_ still asleep! What kind of perverted dream is she having anyway?!

Suddenly, her grip on him tightened further as the kiss deepened. Ben swore he felt something pop behind his neck. This girl is gonna be the death of him!

"_Shit, either she has incredible ESP powers or she's managed to add a new move to her perverted arsenal,"_ Ben gritted as he tried desperately to pry her face away, but, for some reason, he felt a lot weaker than he should be.

"_I can't exert any strength, at all. My arms feel like jelly. Damn, I've been through hell worse situations so why…?"_

The taste of Gwen's lips was overwhelming him—overloading all his senses. His mind was starting to drift from rationality, as his hands that were, at first, pushing Gwen away were now holding on tightly to her for dear life.

"_Why? Why am I this pathetic…? When I should be… But I can still stop this… While I haven't gone completely insane yet…" _

Ben was hell-bent for one last attempt, his shaking hands grabbing hold of Gwen's delicate shoulders as he steadied himself for a final push. But then, another turn of events…

He felt something enter his mouth. It was rather moist… very soft… felt solid… and the taste of it wasn't particularly appealing… but it was strangely addicting.

Her tongue—she slipped her whole fucking tongue inside his mouth! It danced about wildly, caressing every part of the inside of his mouth, her saliva mixing with his; two distinct tastes combining into… was the word 'ecstasy'?

Ben unconsciously coiled his tongue, interlocking it with Gwen's as they fought in harmonious synch, matching the other's pace and complimenting perfectly every movement the other one made. It's like… they were almost meant for each other.

His eyes were clouded with pure bliss. Any spec of pride and dignity he once owned were now thrown out the window. The sensation he was feeling right now was indescribable… and he wanted more of it. Her scent, the feel of her tongue, the taste of her; every part of her Ben now started to crave for…

But the sound of tiny bells began ringing in his mind. And then the image of Erika formed amidst the darkness; her cute, smiling face bright and cheery as she held a spoonful of food so close to him… happily feeding him. That's right, how can he forget the one girl that has pulled him from the depths of depression?

And here he is French kissing his sleeping cousin when he should be rebuilding their past relationship. Somehow, trying to keep Gwen in 'just a cousin' territory is proving more and more difficult with each passing day— especially, when Ben's now only starting to realize that Gwen is actually a _girl_.

The universe just keeps being unfair.

Ben gently cupped Gwen's face with both hands as he slowly pulled away from her, an obscene trail of saliva bridged between their lips as he did. He could hear the disgruntled mews Gwen was making in her sleep, and he found it somewhat funny for some reason. How long before he started to realize she could be this adorable? Well, he did realize that long ago but ignored it for the large part.

"Honestly, I just don't know what to do with you anymore," Ben smirked as he lightly stroked the girl's fiery hair.

"Nuuuu…" he heard Gwen moan as she unconsciously snuggled up against him.

"B-Ben… d-don't ever… leave me again…" she murmured softly in her sleep as her hand gripped tightly at his shirt.

The boy couldn't help but chuckle at how childish she sounded. To think that years ago, she would rather die than openly admit such things. And now… it was like rediscovering who Gwen Tennyson actually was. Is it possible that this was a side of her that he never knew before? The side Gwen always kept locked up all this time?

Whatever the case was, Ben found himself wrapping his arms around her and resting his forehead on hers, sighing as he did with a smile.

"… Of course I won't, you stupid girl."

* * *

Gwen: Kyaah! Kissing Ben and getting hugged by him! I wish I was awake while all this happened! I'm so pissed and happy at the same time! Arrghhh!

Inaba: Mistress, I love this chapter and all, but it feels a little short… No offense, I'm glad you had fun.

Gwen: Eh? It's because BG planned to have this chapter consist of two parts—one would be my scene with Ben and the other where you have a turn at the spotlight, but it seems mine took a lot more space than was anticipated. Sorry, Inaba.

Inaba: It's all well and good, Mistress. The important thing is that you're happy. And I've just received word that since BG felt this chapter would've been 'too messy' if he included the second part, he will instead use it in chapter six with more added content. How exciting!

Gwen: Also, BG will be taking a break from Fanfiction after the next chapter to focus on his own original light novel. While it is kind of sad for the readers, he hopes you will also give his work a look, too. We will be back, though, don't worry. This story is far, far, far, far, far from over! There's still more characters to look forward to, after all!

Inaba: Ah, how exhilarating! We hope to see you guys again soon! Oops, duty calls! 'Till next time!

Mr. BG: Thank you for all your support up to this point. I'm excited to publish this after a long absence (much personal stuff to take care of) and I am dead tired. I'll leave the correcting for tomorrow so for now, enjoy!

Gwen: BG… didn't you say you'll let us handle the Author's Note from now on? *sigh*

Mr. BG: Sometimes, I get lonely…


End file.
